Surprises in a New Town
by Egyptian Lotus
Summary: Paige 21  & Kalinda 18  Emerose arrive in Mystic Falls only to find that the town is not all it appears to be. Their lives become complicated as one meets a certain Salvatore and the other meets a certain Original. Will they survive? Read & review please!
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE DIARIES.**

**Prologue **

_Fiery flames and suffocating smoke._

That was all that could be seen from the street of the Emerose Mansion.

The fire station was called, but it was nearly 20 miles away. Mr. and Mrs. Emerose were trapped inside. Luckily their daughters, Paige and Kalinda, were away from the house.

By the time Paige returned home, the firemen had arrived. They were unsuccessfully trying to quench the flames.

"Mom! Dad!" Paige started calling out.

"Miss, are your parents inside?" the Fire Chief asked her.

"I don't know. They were home. Oh my Gosh!" Paige started hyperventilating.

"Miss, calm down. We will go inside," he said. He began ordering his men around.

It was too late. Mr. and Mrs. Emerose had died of smoke inhalation.

Paige broke down, but then she remembered her sister. Kalinda!

Paige quickly went to the school. How was she going to break this to her little sister?

-(Page Break)-

"Miss Emerose," Kalinda's teacher called. "You are being dismissed. You can get your things and head to the office."

"Okay," she frowned. She had a bad feeling. She had never been pulled out of class before.

"What's going on?" she asked as she got in her sister's car.

"There was a fire. Our house is completely burnt down," Paige started. "Mom and dad were caught inside. They died of smoke inhalation."

Kalinda started sobbing.

-(Page Break)-

After the funeral, Paige and Kalinda had plans to move to a new city. They didn't want to stick around with all the bad memories.

They packed up their new belongings; they had just bought at the mall, and drove away.

They were headed to Mystic Falls, Virginia.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Is this the house?" Kalinda asks. I can hear the smile in her voice.

"Yep," I reply as I pull into the driveway of our new home. "Is it what you thought it would be?" I ask curiously as we get out of the car.

"Actually it's better. When you said we were moving to a little town I didn't think they would have houses like this," Kalinda exclaims with excitement. "I mean it's not as big as our mansion by far, but it is still one of the biggest houses on the block. It should be excellent for throwing parties," she smiles mischievously.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," I say with authority. "Now help me get our things out of the trunk."

"Do you even know how to have fun?" she asks as I open the trunk and start handing her luggage.

"Yeah, but I don't need to have parties to have fun," I say grabbing the last of the luggage and our parents fire safe that pretty much has all of our important documents inside.

"Yeah, and what do you consider fun? Popcorn and a movie?" Kalinda asks as we walk up to the house.

"Let's just get this stuff inside," I say setting down some of the luggage and unlocking the door. I pick it back up and walk inside.

"Wow!" Kalinda says putting down what she is carrying.

"Yeah," I say and look around. There was a pretty big living room with a fireplace. Then there was a staircase leading to a loft and our bedrooms.

"No mansion, but it's nice," Kalinda smiles.

I put my things down as well. "I have to go and take care of some things. I should be back before supper. Remember no opening the door for strangers and be careful," I say opening the door. "Oh, and your room is the one without the bathroom in it. No parties!"

"You're not my mom," she says as I step out onto the porch.

"But I am your guardian!" I say and she shuts the door in my face. "Bye!" I call through it and walk down the steps.

I get in the car and start it. First thing to do is go to Town Hall and get the deed to the house. Thanks goodness for my GPS or I would have been completely lost. After about ten minutes of driving I finally reach Town Hall. I park on a side street and get out of the car. I grab all of the papers from the Realtor and start walking to the Town Hall. While I'm walking I start to go through the papers to make sure I have them all. Unfortunately for me I can't look where I'm walking as well and soon run into someone, and sure enough, drop my papers as well.

"I'm so sorry," I say starting to bend down to pick up the papers, but they are not there anymore. Someone is holding them out for me to take. "Thank you," I say and take them. I look up at the person I had run into. He was at least a head taller than me with short brown hair and brown eyes. He looked very sophisticated in suit and tie.

"It's quite alright, and you're welcome," he smiles.

I smile, glad that he wasn't angry.

"So are you new to Mystic Falls?" he asks curiously.

"Yes, actually. My sister and I just arrived today," I reply.

"How lovely," he says. "Oh, let me introduce myself. My name is Elijah Mikaelson," he says while holding his hand out to be shaken.

"Paige Emerose," I say with a smile, and shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Emerose," he says with a smile and lets go of my hand. "Well I must be going. Goodbye, Miss Emerose," he says and walks away.

"Goodbye," I call and resume my walking to Town Hall.

I smile to myself as I walk. He seemed like a gentleman and the British accent and suit helped that fact as well.

I reach the building and walk up the stairs.

"Can I help you, Miss?" a woman asks as I walk through the doors.

"I am here to sign for the deed to the house I recently purchased," I say handing her the papers from the realtor.

She looks through them and then smiles.

"Right this way, Miss Emerose," she says leading me to a desk. "I will be back in a moment with the papers you need to sign," she says and then walks away toward the back of the building.

After a few minutes the woman comes back with papers in her hand. Once she reaches the desk she sits down behind it.

"Here is the deed, if you could please sign here," she says pointing to a line on the document that read signature.

I hurry and sign my name.

"And could you please sign here as well," she says pointing to another paper.

I quickly sign that one as well.

"And finally could you please sign here," she says pointing to yet another paper.

I sign that one as well.

"Ok, Miss Emerose, you are officially the owner of the house. Congratulations," the woman says with a big smile, standing up.

"Thank you," I say and gather my things and leave Town Hall.

Once I reach my car I hop in and turn it on. Now I had to go to the school and enroll Kalinda into school. Once I reach the school I notice that it is over. I shut my car off and walk toward the school hoping that there were still people so I could enroll her.

I reach the doors and thank goodness they are still open. I follow the signs to the office and knock once I reach the door.

"Hello, may I help you?" An elderly woman answers the door and questions.

"Yes, I am here to enroll my sister Kalinda in school. We just moved here today," I explain.

"Your sister? Where are your parents?" she questions with a raised eyebrow.

"They died in a fire, and I am now her legal guardian," I explain.

"Come and let me check your papers and then I will get the papers ready for you to fill out," she says leading me to an office.

I notice some flyers on a bulletin board as we pass it, and one catches my eye. It was talking about how they were hiring for a new chorus teacher. I would definitely have to ask about that.

"May I see your papers so I can show them to the principal?" she asks once we reach a door that said Principal Showers on it.

"Sure," I hand them to her.

She knocks and it is a moment before anyone answers.

"What is it, Carrie?" a man asks, opening the door.

"She would like to enroll her sister in school," the elderly woman replies.

"Well, please come in and we will get her registered. May I see your papers?" he asks as he closes the door to his office once we are all in.

"Here they are," the woman hands them to him.

"Please have a seat," he says gesturing to some seats in front of him. I politely take a seat. He looks through the papers, and after a few moments looks up at me. "Everything seems to be in order, let me get you the papers and we should have her registered and ready to go to school tomorrow," he says, standing up and walking over to a filing cabinet and pulls out some papers, and brings them back to the desk and sits. "If you could please fill these out," he says handing me the papers and a pen."

After about 20 minutes I finally finish up filling out all of the papers. I hand them to him and he takes them and looks at them.

"Excellent. When she comes tomorrow we should have a schedule for her," he smiles.

"Thank you," I say as he leads me to the door.

"No problem," he assures.

I stop once we reach the door because a thought crosses my mind.

"I noticed a flyer saying you were in need of a new chorus teacher and I was wandering if I could apply because musical education was my major in college," I say hoping that he would consider.

"Yes, come tomorrow at 3, and we will do your interview, Miss," he pauses.

"Paige Emerose," I introduce myself.

"Nice to meet you," he smiles and shakes my hand.

"Well, Miss Emerose, I will see you tomorrow at your interview," he says while opening his door and I exit.

While leaving the school I can't help but to think how wonderful things were going so far, especially since we have only arrived in town today. If things keep going this good Kalinda and I should feel at home in no time.

I break out of my train of thought once I get to my car. I get in and start it up and start driving toward the grocery store, the next thing I Had to do was get food.

Surprisingly, the store was not that hard to find. Once I shut off the car and get out I check my cell phone to see that it is ten till five. If I don't hurry I am not going to get home to Kalinda in time to make supper.

I quickly walk into the store and look at the signs hanging from the ceiling and quickly make my way to the frozen food aisle. I grab a few frozen pizzas along with some milk and eggs and head down to the snacks/beverages aisle.

As I turn toward the chips I feel something hit my cart. I look over and see a woman with short blonde hair, and a police uniform on.

"I'm so sorry," she says pulling her cart back.

"It's okay. My cart was probably too far out in the aisle," I say apologetically.

"It was definitely my fault, but thanks for making me feel better," she says with a smile and laugh. "I'm Sheriff Forbes," she says introducing herself and holding out her hand to be shaken.

"Paige Emerose," I say shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Paige," she smiles. "So are you new in town? I haven't seen you around before," she questions. It almost appears that she is looking at me skeptically.

"Um, yeah, my sister and I just arrived today," I answer.

"Where are your parents?" she asks curiously.

"They died in a fire not too long ago," I answer not wanting to go into the detail of that day.

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that," she says sincerely. "Where did you move from?"

"Florida," I reply hoping she wouldn't ask any more questions. I know she's Sheriff, and it is probably her job to know things about people, but I don't feel like getting interrogated in the middle of the grocery store.

"Nice, I bet it was pretty nice down there," she says trying to start conversation.

"Yeah, it was, and I miss it, but this seems like a pleasant little town," I say honestly.

"It is," she confirms.

"Well, I have to get going, I need to be home to make supper for my sister. Goodbye," I say, dismissing myself.

"Goodbye," she says in return.

I finish up shopping and hurry home to Kalinda.

Once I get there I quickly unload the groceries and enter the house.

"Kalinda, I'm home," I call kicking the door shut. "Could you help me with the groceries?"

"Coming," she calls from upstairs. "What did you get for supper?" she questions taking some of the groceries.

"Pizza," I say showing her the frozen ones I got.

"Nice," she smiles.

"Let's hurry up and get these put away and then we can eat," I say putting some things away in the cabinets.

"Great, because I'm starving," Kalinda says excitedly.

Finally, after we get everything put away I put the pizza in the oven, and Kalinda and I sit down at the kitchen table.

"So, does the town seem interesting? Did you meet anyone?" she questions.

"Well, they appear to have a nice school, which I registered you in. You start tomorrow," I say wondering what her reaction would be.

"Oh, fun, exciting," she says through a fake smile.

"It will be fine, and you will make lots of new friends," I say reassuringly.

"I liked my old friends," she says a bit angry.

"I know, but we both agreed we couldn't live there anymore, because of the memories the place held," I say reminding her why we moved.

"I didn't know you were moving me out of state!" she almost yells.

"Kalinda, calm down. You will be fine tomorrow," I say, grabbing her hand comfortingly.

"Yeah, yeah," she says, annoyed. Just then, the buzzer on the stove goes off, signaling the pizza is done.

Supper is eaten mostly in silence, and I can tell Kalinda is mad at me. After we finish eating, I clean the dishes and then pick up the luggage I left by the door, and start to walk up the stairs to my room to unpack.

"Don't stay up too late, Kalinda, you have school tomorrow," I say, as if I were a parent.

"I'm 18. You can't tell me what to do," she calls from the living room. I don't respond. I know she is angry and responding would only make it worse.

I go to my room and unpack my clothes. I get a quick shower and get ready for bed. It was only seven, but it had been a long day. I close my eyes once I lay down and think about everything that recently happened and start to drift into sleep. Wondering what tomorrow would be like and hoping Kalinda will have a good day.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: I should mention that every other chapter will be in a different point of view. The odds will be Paige's and the evens will be Kalinda's. Also, the italics are the speaker's thoughts. Enjoy;)**

**Chapter Two**

I am nervous. Today is my first day at my new high school. I hate not knowing anyone. I don't want to sit by myself and have no one to talk to. I don't want to be that awkward kid who eats all by herself either.

"You'll be fine," Paige tells me as she drops me off in front of the building.

"You're lucky you're old. You don't need friends," I tell her as I got out of the car.

"Hey!" she yells.

I laugh as I walk into the school. I head to the office. I have to get my schedule and hopefully a map.

"Can I help you?" the secretary asks as I enter the office.

"I'm Kalinda Emerose. I'm a new student," I say.

"Of course," she smiles kindly. "I'm Miss Howard. Your schedule is right here. I'll have a student show you around. Just take a seat."

_Wow_, I think, _She is too chipper._

As I sit down, I glance over my schedule:

Emerose, Kalinda S.

(Senior/12)

**Class**

**Teacher**

**Room**

Ancient History

Saltzman, Mr. A.

108

English

Coral, Miss T.

102

Calculus

Benji, Mr. R.

204

Art

Calaway, Miss L.

103

Lunch

Café

Chemistry

Hathaway, Mrs. P.

201

Gym

Lupis, Mrs. C.

200

"Kalinda," the secretary speaks softly. "This is Caroline Forbes. She'll show you around." The secretary sits back down at her desk.

"Hi, as she said, I'm Caroline. Welcome to Mystic Falls. Why did you move here?" she is really happy, too. Is there something in the water?

"My parents died in a house fire. My older sister moved us up here," I explain quietly. It still hurt to talk about.

"I'm so sorry about your parents. My good friend Elena recently lost her parents," Caroline says.

"How?" I ask.

"Her and her parents were in a car accident. Their car went over the bridge. She was the only one who was rescued," Caroline explains. "Tragic."

I just nod. I don't know what to say.

"So, what's your first class?" Caroline breaks the awkward silence.

"Um, ancient history with Mr. Saltzman," I say, referring to my schedule.

She squeals happily. "That's my first class, too. You'll love it. Mr. Saltzman is an awesome teacher."

"Great," I smile.

Caroline walks me to the classroom. She's so happy; she's nearly skipping. I just follow at my leisurely pace.

"Hey, Mr. Saltzman," Caroline says walking up to his desk.

"Caroline, how can I help you?" he asks.

"This is Kalinda. She's new here," Caroline introduces me.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Kalinda. Take a seat," Mr. Saltzman says kindly.

"You can sit by me. I'll introduce you to a few people," Caroline smiles.

"Okay," I nod. _At least I'm making new friends._

As the class files in, two girls quickly make their way to where Caroline and I are sitting.

"Elena, Bonnie, I want you to meet the new student. Her name is Kalinda Emerose. She moved here with her older sister," Caroline says as soon as they are in hearing distance.

"I'm Elena Gilbert," Elena says. "Welcome to Mystic Falls."

"I'm Bonnie Bennett," Bonnie smiles, "Where did you move from?"

"Florida," I say. "We used to have a nice mansion on the beach."

"What made you want to move?" Elena asks.

"My house burnt down. My parents were inside. My sister and I just wanted to get away," I murmur.

"I am so sorry. My parents died as well. And them my aunt, who was my guardian also passed away," Elena says.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry," I say. "That's horrible. Who is your guardian now?"

"I don't really have one. I'm 18," Elena explains.

"Oh. I'm 18, too. My sister doesn't want me to be on my own at the moment, though. I guess I understand," I shrug.

"Well, you're welcome at my place anytime," Elena says.

"Anyway," Caroline interrupts. "This weekend, are we still on?"

"Definitely," Elena nods. "Can I bring Matt? We are kind of dating again?"

"This is great," Bonnie grins. "I'm so happy for you. He really did miss you. He loves you."

"I know. My old feelings are returning, I think," Elena smiles. "Or maybe they're just new."

"Of course he can come," Caroline says. "This is exciting. But, I thought you were into Damon?"

"I'm glad you're over Damon," Bonnie tells Elena. "Some other unfortunate soul can have him."

Elena smiles, "I am happy."

"Well, that's all that matters," Caroline grins. Then she notices me. "We've been so rude. My apologies, Kalinda. So, how long have you been in town?"

"We only arrived yesterday," I say.

"You really are new," Bonnie laughs.

"You should come to the Grill with us on Friday," Caroline suggests.

"Really?" I ask. "That would be nice. I thought it would be really hard to make friends."

"Oh, this town is really close knit," Caroline says.

"Too close," Bonnie mutters.

I look at her funny. I don't understand what she means by that.

"Don't mind her," Elena laughs.

Just then Mr. Saltzman calls the class to attention.

After history, Caroline takes me to English. She isn't in this class, but Bonnie is.

_Maybe Bonnie can explain what she meant earlier._

Miss Coral instructs us to read Hamlet. While she searches the room for a book for me, I turn to Bonnie.

"What did you mean by this town being too close?" I ask her.

"Oh, nothing. We're just too interested in our history," Bonnie tells me.

For some odd reason, even though I just met her, I didn't believe her.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was exhausted.

"Are you okay?" Elena asks me.

"Just tired," I smile. "I'm not used to going to school at 7. I went from 8:30 to 3:30 at my old school."

"You'll get used to it," Bonnie says softly.

"Hey, girls. Elena," a boy says sitting at our table. He kisses Elena's cheek.

I am assuming this is Matt.

"Kalinda, this is my boyfriend Matt," Elena introduces.

"Nice to meet you," I shake his hand.

"Ditto," he grins.

"Oh, Bonnie, my mom is going to be at work after school, so we can do our chemistry lab at my place," Caroline says randomly.

"Great. Is your mom ever not at work?" Bonnie asks.

"Not really," Caroline shrugs. "I prefer it that way."

"What does she do?" I ask.

"She's the sheriff," Caroline tells me.

"Is there a lot of crime around here?" I ask.

They all look at each other.

_Well, that's reassuring._

"There isn't really," Caroline says. "She just works a lot to keep history from repeating itself."

_History. I really did love history. And it seemed to be a reoccurring theme in this town. Maybe I would have to look into it._

"I think you're scaring her," Matt points out.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking," I say.

While the others continued talking, I take time to study them.

Elena is average height with straight, dark brown hair. Her eyes are a chocolate brown color.

Bonnie has black hair; it is curly. Her eyes were also brown. She was shorter than Elena.

Caroline was the tallest of the girls. She had straight blond hair and blue eyes.

Finally, there was Matt. He had dirty blond hair and blue eyes. He was about average height.

My last class of the day is gym. I don't really like gym. I'm not very athletic. I am more of the artsy type.

In gym we are playing volleyball. Mrs. Lupis, the gym teacher, puts me on a team, and explains to the class the exercise we're doing today.

We are simply practicing rotating.

None of my new friends are in this class. That is kind of disappointing, but I guess I could survive this period with no one to talk to.

"Hey, what's your name?" a guy on my team asks.

"Kalinda," I tell him.

"That's pretty. Just like you," he flirts. "I'm Tanner Long."

Tanner is average height, maybe 5'9". He has dark hair and baby blue eyes. He is very cute.

"Where you from?" he asks.

"Florida," I say.

"Ooh, the moonshine state, right?" he asks.

_But he is very stupid._

"You idiot, it's the sunshine state," one of his friends says. "Moron."

"I was close," he shrugs.

I roll my eyes.

Finally, the day is over. Ew, I guess I have to ride the bus. I don't see my sister anywhere. I really hate riding the bus.

"Hey," Caroline says walking up to me.

"Hi," I smile back.

"Are you waiting for your sister?" she asks.

"Um, no, looks like I'm riding the bus," I shrug.

"I can give you a ride," Caroline smiles.

"Really?" I ask. "That would be great. Thank you."

I am just glad I don't have to ride the bus.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I walk down the stairs and see that Kalinda was home from school.

"How was it today?" I ask sitting down beside her. "Was it as bad as you thought?" I question.

"No, actually it wasn't. I met some really nice people," she says with a smile.

"I'm so glad!" I say giving her a hug. "I told you, you would be fine." I smile.

"Yeah, I guess you were right. A girl I met named Caroline even gave me a ride home so I didn't have to ride the bus," she says happily.

"Well, that was very nice of her. I Hope you thanked her," I say like a mom.

"Yes I did and please stop trying to sound like the parent, you're not, you are my sister not mom," she says a tad angrily.

"Sorry!" I exclaim putting my hands up in defeat. "I am just trying to be a good guardian and balance being your sister at the same time. It's hard," I confess.

"I know," she sighs. "Just stop getting on my case so much."

"Fine," I say in agreement. I look at the clock and see it is 2:50. I jump up off the couch and run to the door.

"Where are you going?" Kalinda asks as she walks over to me.

"I have an interview at your school for a teaching position as a chorus teacher," I say as I put on my heels.

"Oh," is all she says.

"See you when I get back," I say opening the door. "There is stuff in the freezer to eat!" I inform her and quickly run out of the house to my car. Once I turn it on and start driving I glance at the clock, five till three. I was going to be late!

I drive as fast as I can without looking like a crazy lady and reach the school in six minutes where as it would usually have taken ten, going the speed limit. I hurry up and park and quickly jump out of the car. I glance at my cell phone as I run to the school and see it is five after three.

_Well this isn't going to help me get the job._

I reach the doors and yank them open and run in. I follow the signs to the office again, but just as I'm about to reach the doors, I run into someone and fall down.

"Are you okay?" they ask, holding a hand out to help me up. I take it and they pull me up. I look and see that I had run into a man.

"I am so sorry it's just that I am late for an interview for the chorus teaching position and I know I shouldn't have been running, and I should have been paying attention to where I was going," I ramble and take a deep breath.

"It's all right. I'm fine. You're the one who fell down, so no need to apologize," he says with a smile. "My name is Alaric Saltzman. I'm the history teacher here," he says introducing himself.

"Nice to meet you, Alaric," I smile and shake his hand. "I'm Paige Emerose, and I would love to talk more. But I am really late, as I said before," I say trying not to be rude.

"I understand. Good luck," he smiles and then walks away.

"Thanks!" I call. I open the doors to the office and walk in.

"Miss Emerose, Mr. Showers is waiting for you in his office," the elderly woman I met yesterday says. "Follow me." She leads me to his office. "Miss Emerose is here," she informs him as she opens the door.

"Excellent, send her in," I hear him tell her.

"You may go in," she says when she walks back in. "Good luck," she smiles and walks away.

"Thanks," I say hoping she heard.

I open the door and take a deep breath trying to calm down my nerves.

"Ah, Miss Emerose, please take a seat, and we will get started," he says gesturing to a seat in front of his desk.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," I apologize as I sit.

"It's fine. No harm done. Plus, there isn't anyone else we have interviewed for the job, so if you ace the interview you just might get the job," he smiles.

"Great!" I say excitedly.

"Let's start with a few questions," he says taking some papers from his desk. "Where did you go to school and for how many years?"

"I went to Florida State University. I went for four years and got my bachelor's degree in musical education," I answer.

"Excellent," he says writing some things down. "Can you play piano?"

"Yes."

"Good," he smiles. "Have you ever been in jail?"

"No."

"Have you taught anywhere previously, but did not leave on your own accord?" he questions.

"No. I just recently graduated," I say starting to get nervous.

"Did you work previously while you were in school?"

"No."

The questions continue like this for the next hour and a half.

"Well, Miss Emerose, if I may say that was excellently done," Mr. Showers says, standing. "And you got the job!"

"Really!" I exclaim excitedly.

"Really. You can start tomorrow. I will have all your things ready for you," he says with a smile.

"This is great! I mean, thank you!" I say shaking his hand excitedly.

"You are very welcome if you could please arrive here tomorrow at six thirty, we can get everything settled," he says opening his door.

"Yes, yes of course. Thank you so much!" I say and then head out of the school.

"How did it go?" I hear someone ask me as I reach my car. I turn around and see Alaric.

"Good," I say with a smile, barely able to contain my excitement. "I got the job!" I say trying not to squeal.

"That's great the kids have been missing their musical program," he says walking over to me.

"Well, I am glad that they will have it back, but might I ask what happened to their previous teacher?" I question as the thought crosses my mind.

"Family things came up, and she said she had to leave. No one really knows anymore than that," he shrugs.

"Oh, interesting," I say not really knowing what else to say.

"So when did you move here and where are you from?" he asks curiously.

"My sister and I arrived here yesterday. We moved up here from Florida. Our mansion caught on fire and our parents were caught inside. They died of smoke inhalation," I explain.

"I'm very sorry to hear that, and I think I might have your sister in class. Is her name Kalinda?" he asks sincerely and then questions.

"Yes it is and thanks," I reply with a sad smile.

"I know you've only been here for a day but how are you liking the town so far?" he asks curiously.

"It seems nice. I haven't really gotten a chance to look around or really meet anyone yet, but it seems nice," I say simply.

"Yeah it is, it's very unique," he says almost looking for the right word. "Well, I've got to get going. I'll see you around now that you are teaching. Congratulations, by the way," he smiles and walks over to what I assume is his car.

"Thanks," I say and get into my car and drive home.

"How did the interview go?" Kalinda asks as I walk in.

"Good. I got the job!" I squeal.

"Really? That's great!" she says giving me a hug. "I'm happy for you!"

"Thank you," I say with a happy smile. "Come on let's eat, and you can tell me more about your first day of school," I say leading her to the kitchen. "How about grilled cheese and tomato soup tonight?"

"Yes!" she exclaims excitedly.

In about twenty minutes the food is ready, and we sit down and eat.

"So, who else did you meet besides this Caroline…," I stop, realizing she hadn't told me her last name.

"Forbes," Kalinda fills in.

"Hmm, does her mom happen to be sheriff?" I ask.

"Yes," she replies and looks at me curiously. "How did you know that?" she questions.

"Well, I ran into her at the grocery store. Well, more like she ran into my cart with hers, but you understand what I'm saying," I explain.

"I see," Kalinda says giving me another look. "I also met Elena, Matt, and Bonnie," she says, finishing answering the questions. "All friends of Caroline," she informs.

"Are they nice? Do they seem like good kids?" I question.

"Well, for one thing, I just met them today, but yes they all seem really nice," she smiles, but I can hear the annoyance in her voice.

"What about your teachers, how are they?" I ask curiously, but I could tell she was getting annoyed with all the questions.

"They are okay, some are really boring though. You know, the usual," she says rather bored. "Mr. Saltzman was definitely the best out of all of them."

"I ran into him today, and I mean literally ran into him and fell down, on the way to the interview," I say slightly embarrassed. "He mentioned that he had you after I saw him again in the parking lot after my interview."

"Now, don't go making friends with my teachers. That will just be weird," she says with a teasing smile.

"Hey! I will have you know that I can make friends with whoever I want!" I say acting like I was hurt over that comment.

"No, remember you're too old for friends," she smiles, and we both laugh.

It takes us about a good ten minutes to calm down. We would stop laughing for a few minutes, but then we would start right back up again. Kalinda wipes away the tears in her eyes after laughing so hard.

"Ok, I don't even know how that was so funny, but it sure felt good to laugh," Kalinda says, catching her breath.

"Yeah, it did. We haven't done that in awhile," I smile.

"Yeah, we haven't," she agrees.

"You're turn to do the dishes," I say, standing up and walking to the living room.

"Ugh!" I hear her groan.

I turn on the TV and flip through the channels. I finally stop on "American Idol".

"What are you watching?" Kalinda asks walking from the kitchen.

"American Idol," I reply as she sits on the couch beside me.

"Cool," she says.

After it's over I walk up the stairs to my bedroom. I quickly hop in the shower and when I'm done I get ready for bed and crawl in.

I was so nervous about tomorrow. I don't want to mess anything up. Finally after about an hour of lying in bed, I finally fall into sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Finally, it is Friday! I am so excited. School is out. Now, I'm just waiting to ask Paige about going to The Grill. Oh, and borrowing the car.

"Kalinda, where are you?" Paige calls.

"In my room," I come out and walk downstairs.

"You look nice," she says.

"Can I go to The Grill with Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, and Matt?" I ask her.

"What is The Grill?" she asks.

"A restaurant," I say.

"Oh, okay, I guess that's fine," Paige says.

"And can I borrow the car?" I ask.

"If you must," she sighs. She tosses me the keys.

I grin at her, "Thank you."

Caroline had given me her number in school today, and I gave her mine. She is supposed to text me when they are going.

"Just be careful," Paige tells me.

"I will," I reassure her. "Don't worry." Then, uncharacteristically, I gave her a hug.

"Don't be late," she murmurs.

Caroline texts me around 6, saying they are all getting ready to leave.

I am so glad I made friends here. I would not want to sit at home on a Friday night. I grab my keys and say good-bye to Paige.

I arrive at The Grill to see Caroline waiting by her car. I quickly shut off my car, lock it, and call out to her.

"Glad you could make it," she grins.

"Me too, I'm glad you invited me," I say.

"Let's go inside. The others went to get us a table," Caroline smiles.

As we reach our table, I notice it's big enough to seat 12 people.

"Are more people coming?" I ask.

"You never know who might show up," Caroline says mysteriously.

I just shrug. Apparently this town really is close.

Our waitress comes over to take our orders.

"Night off, Matt?" she asks.

"Yeah, I'm hanging out with my girlfriend and a couple friends," Matt says.

"Lucky," she laughs. "All right, what can I get ya'll?"

Elena orders a chicken salad and a coke. Matt orders two hamburgers and a Coke. Bonnie orders chicken strips and a Sprite. Caroline doesn't order anything. She claims she isn't hungry, she's just here to hang out with friends. I order a chicken sandwich and fires, plus a Sprite.

We are halfway through eating our supper when a man appears out of nowhere beside Elena.

"Can I join you?" he asks.

Caroline agrees. She is always so friendly. Bonnie however disagrees whole-heartedly.

"You're not wanted here," Bonnie says to him.

The man just ignores her.

"Damon, this is Kalinda Emerose. Kalinda, this is Damon Salvatore," Elena introduces us.

Damon sits beside me, "Welcome to town."

"Leave her alone," Bonnie demands of him.

"It's okay," I say softly. Damon is hot. I don't mind him talking to me. He has shaggy black hair and blue-green eyes.

"See, Bonnie. Let people make their own decisions. Just because you don't like me doesn't mean others don't," Damon says.

"He's a disgusting creature, Kalinda," Bonnie tells me. "You don't want to get associated with him."

"Don't listen to the witch. She's just biased," Damon smiles at me. I smile back.

Bonnie groans in disgust and stands up. She throws down a twenty and leaves.

"Nice going, Damon," Caroline scowls at him. "Bonnie was finally starting to hang out with us again."

"We're better off without her. She always ruins our plans anyway," Damon shrugs.

I am very confused by this point. Why call her a witch? Damon didn't seem like the type to dislike saying bitch. And what plans were they talking about? This all seems very suspicious. I'm not sure if I really trust any of these people.

"Alright, let's not scare Kalinda away," Caroline laughs. "She's only known us for a week."

"You're very pretty," Damon says to me. He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.

I giggle and blush.

"Damon, she will not be your new toy," Elena says.

Matt distracts her by kissing her cheek.

Elena blushes herself.

"How about we get going?" Matt asks. We had finished our dinner a while ago. Near the time Bonnie left.

"Okay," Elena grins. "We'll see you guys Monday."

"Get some," Caroline calls out as they walk away. "I should probably head home, too. My mom will be getting home soon."

"Okay," I say. I'm kind of sad to leave Damon. He has such a mysterious air about him.

"How about we stay?" Damon asks me.

I nod happily. It's not like I planned on going home with him.

"Are you sure?" Caroline asks.

"I'll be fine," I say. "Go on."

"You, be a gentleman," Caroline warns Damon.

"Aren't I always?" he asks rhetorically.

Caroline just rolls her eyes and leaves.

"I'm not that bad," Damon tells me. "So, maybe I used to be a bit of a playboy, but I've changed."

"Sure," I laugh. "That's why Caroline told you to be a gentleman."

He brushes the back of his hand against my cheek.

I blush again. What is this man doing to me?

Damon looks deep into my eyes. "How about we go outside? It's quite nice out."

"Sure," I hear myself say, but it's like I'm in a trance.

He smiles, "Excellent." He leads me out a back door and behind The Grill. It's dark out and no one else is around.

"Why are we out here?" I ask.

Damon just smiles and moves my hair away from my neck.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Shh!" he whispers. Damon starts to kiss my neck, slowly and softly.

"Damon…," I whisper.

He just continues what he's doing. Then he bites down. Hard.

"Ow!" I yell. Then a couple seconds pass. It starts to feel good.

When Damon is finished he cleans up my neck and looks back into my eyes.

"You will remember nothing that just took place," Damon compels. I nod. When he breaks eye contact, I feel dizzy. My mind is all hazy.

"Wh…where are we?" I ask.

"Outside. You wanted fresh air," Damon says.

"I do feel a little dizzy," I say.

"Well, maybe I can kiss you better," Damon flirts.

I smile in spite of myself. I know I just met him, but he is so hot.

His lips meet mine, and I can't help but to smile. He grins back. Then he forces my tongue between my lips. Not that I was really trying to stop him.

It was getting heated when somewhere in the distance a bell tolled, signaling it was 8 o'clock.

"Want to go back to my place?" Damon asks.

"I should probably get home. My sister might get worried," I say.

"What about your parents?" Damon asks, curious.

"They died in a fire," I say.

"I'm sorry," he says.

"You didn't know," I tell him.

"Why did you choose Mystic Falls?" he asks me.

"My sister found me a good house here," I shrug. "I don't really know how her mind works."

"Well, I'm glad you came here," he grins. He is leaning against the back wall of The Grill now. He looks like the stereotypical bad boy.

I grin back. Then I remember all the things people had been saying about this town over the past week. At school, my friends seem normal when they're with people. But when they're alone together, they act so paranoid. They act like something bad will happen at any turn.

"This town is so weird," I say aloud.

"Hey now," Damon laughs. "Though I'm not disagreeing. It's got its history."

There is that history thing again. I really need to read up on this town's history.

"You look like you're thinking hard," Damon says.

I shrug, "Just thinking about life here."

He smiles, "Well I hope it's good. I'd miss you if you left."

I blush yet again. This seems to be a habit, "I should get going."

I drive away grinning. This had been a good night. I was ready to do it again. And soon.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Reviews are appreciated. Thank you;) Enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 5**

I wake up and look at my clock on my table and see that it is eight AM on Saturday morning.

I groan and get out of bed, because once I am up I can't go back to sleep.

I get dressed and walk down the stairs and make my way to the kitchen. I notice that Kalinda is not up yet but decide not to wake her until I finish breakfast.

I grab the eggs out of the refrigerator and start to make them. I make them scrambled and make some toast to go with them as well. I get the orange juice out and set it on the table. Once I have everything ready, I go to wake Kalinda.

I knock on her door to see if she is possibly awake. When she doesn't answer I assume she isn't.

"Kalinda, wake up," I say walking over to her bed. "Breakfast is ready," I say, shaking her gently.

"Mmm, five more minutes," she mumbles sleepily.

"Come on, I made eggs and toast," I say trying to bribe her to wake up.

She sits up and sights. "Is there orange juice?" she asks.

"Yep," I reply with a smile as she stands up.

"I'll be down in five minutes," she says kicking me out of her room.

"I walk down the stairs and back to the kitchen and sit at the table waiting for Kalinda to come down.

"It smells delicious," Kalinda says as she walks in and sits at the table.

"Thank you," I say happily. "Go ahead and dig in," I say gesturing toward the food laid out on the table.

She quickly puts some eggs and toast on her plate and pours herself some orange juice. I do the same.

"So did you have fun at The Grill tonight?" I ask curiously.

"Yes, I did. It was a lot of fun," she says and takes a bite of her food. "I even met someone new. His name is Damon Salvatore," she tells me and I see her slightly blush.

"And this Damon Salvatore, is he cute? Does he go to your school?" I question, wanting to know about this guy.

"Um, yes and no. He is around your age," she answers, and I can tell she doesn't want me to pry anymore. "Please stop asking questions."

"Fine," I smile and go back to eating my food.

Once we finish breakfast, I clean the dishes, and Kalinda goes into the living room to watch TV.

Once I finish with the dishes I look at the clock on the stove and see it is about ten. I really do not want to sit in the house all day on a Saturday, but I couldn't think of anything to do. Then an idea hits me.

I go up the stairs to my room and grab the book off my bedside table.

"Kalinda, I'm going out. There is food you can make," I call as I walk down the stairs to the front door.

"Where are you going?" she questions from the living room.

"I saw a park when we arrived in town and I am going to go there and read," I say putting on my boots.

"Ooh, that sounds like fun," she replies sarcastically.

"It's fun to me!" I call and walk out the door.

I get into my car and drive to the park.

Once I arrive, I park on the side of the street and get out of the car.

I look around and see that the park is empty, which is understandable. I mean it is Saturday morning and I'm sure people have better things to do.

I walk over to a bench that is under a large maple tree and sit down and start reading my book.

"What are you reading?" I hear someone ask.

I look up from my book and see it is the same man I ran into on the sidewalk the first day I had arrived here. I notice that he is yet again wearing a suit and wonder if that is all he owns.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," I reply with a smile.

"May I join you?" he asks gesturing to the bench.

"Sure," I say and scoot over so he can sit.

"So what is this book about? I have never heard of it," he asks curiously looking at the cover.

That strikes me as a little odd. I thought almost everyone new about "Harry Potter" especially because of the movies.

"Well this is the fourth book in the series," I inform him.

"How many are there total?" he questions.

"Seven and they are also movies," I answer. "The books are about a boy, a wizard, who goes to a school called Hogwarts which teaches witchcraft and wizardry," I say, starting to explain. "The main boy, Harry Potter, goes on adventures with his two friends, Hermione and Ron, to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort. In the book I am reading right now, Harry is participating in a wizard tournament and that is all the farther I have gotten," I explain.

"They sound interesting," he says a little unsurely.

"They are," I confirm.

"So how do you like the town so far?" he asks changing the subject.

"It's nice and it seems like a good town," I answer. "If I may ask, where did you and your sister move from?"

"We moved up here from Florida after our mansion caught on fire, and our parents died of smoke inhalation," I answer. The memory was still painful to think about.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry to hear that," he says apologetically. "So I heard you are the new chorus teacher at the school," he says changing the topic yet again.

"Yeah, I am. How did you find that out," I ask curiously.

"Word travels fast in this town," is his reply. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," I smile. "So how long have you lived in this town?" I ask curiously.

"I lived here awhile ago, but I just recently moved back with some of my siblings," he answers.

"How many siblings do you have?"

"Four," he answers. "I had another one, but he passed away when he was younger."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you," he replies.

There are a few moments of awkward silence after that.

"You know, you have really pretty eyes," he says breaking the silence.

"Well, thank you," I say, feeling myself blush.

"You are quite welcome," he says with a smile. "I'm curious as to why you came to the park to read though, instead of just reading at your home," he says.

"I didn't feel like being cooped up all day inside and I remembered passing this park when we arrived in town. I thought it would be a nice quiet place full of fresh air," I explain.

"You mean, a young woman like yourself has nothing better to do on a Saturday?"

"Nope," I answer honestly. "I haven't really made any friends here yet, and Kalinda doesn't necessarily want to hang out with her sister. I mean if I had an older sister I suppose I wouldn't really want to hang out with them either," I say shrugging. I look at him and see he is smiling.

"Would you care to join me for dinner tonight?" he asks.

I hesitate to answer. I mean I don't even really know the man. I had run into him on the sidewalk, and the only thing we had really done was introduce ourselves. He had said his name was Elijah, and I had said my name was Paige. That's about it.

After a few more minutes of thinking, I answer. "Yes, I would be happy to join you for dinner tonight," I say with a smile.

"Excellent," he says happily. "If you could please give your address I will pick you up at 5:30."

"132 Maple Street," I inform him.

He stands up, takes my hand, and gently kisses the top of it. I can feel myself blush.

"Goodbye for now, Miss Emerose," he says with a smile and starts to walk away.

"Goodbye Elijah!" I call and smile to myself. He really did seem to be a gentleman, but there was something strange about him as well. He almost seemed like he didn't belong in this decade. It is almost like he was born in a completely different time period. The way he talks is just so formal and old sounding, but maybe that is just because of the British accent.

I decide to read a little longer before heading home.

After awhile, I book mark my page and look at the time on my cell phone and see it is 4. I get up from the bench and decide it was time to get home so I could get ready for tonight. I start to get butterflies in my stomach. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about tonight.

As soon as I park the car in the driveway, I hop out and run into the house.

"Kalinda, I'm home," I call, but no one answers. "Kalinda!" I call again, still no answer.

I hurry up and call Kalinda, starting to worry.

"Hello," Kalinda answers.

"Where are you?" I ask waiting for the answer.

"At the library. I wanted to do some research on this town," she explains.

"You could have at least called me and let me know you were leaving. I was worried," I say with a sigh of relief.

"Well, I am fine and I didn't really feel the need to tell you, because, after all, I am legal to do what I want," she says annoyed.

"You're right, but it would just be nice if you let me know," I say in defeat.

"Is there any other reason you called besides to check up on me?"

"Actually yes. I wanted to let you know that I am not going to be home for supper so you will need to make something for yourself," I inform her.

"Why won't you be home?" she asks curiously.

"Because I'm going out," I answer.

"With someone?"

"Well, kind of. This guy I had run into the first day we arrived here was at the park and we started talking. He asked if I would like to join him for dinner," I say blushing.

"And you said yes! Go Paige!" Kalinda says encouragingly.

"Yeah," I giggle. "I have to get ready. See you when I get home," I say.

"See you," she says, and then hangs up.

I set my cell phone on the counter and hurry up the stairs to my room and hop in and take a quick shower. Once I am out it is 5, so I hurry up and curl my hair and go to my closet to pick out an outfit.

I mean it's not like it's a date, it's just dinner, but that doesn't mean I do not want to look nice.

I decide on a nice see through lace white shirt and wear a light blue camisole, with a darker pair of my jeans. I almost decided to change into a dress, wondering if he would show up dressed in a suit. Once I finish getting ready I go downstairs and see on the stove it is 5:25. I go over to the door and put on a nice pair of my boots and wait for him to arrive.

Exactly at 5:30 there is a knock on the door.

I open it to see a smiling Elijah, in a suit as usual.

"You look very nice," he compliments as I grab my purse and jacket.

"Thank you," I blush. "You do as well," I say stepping out onto the porch beside him.

"Thank you," he smiles. "Are you ready?" he asks.

"Yes," I reply.

"Then let's go," he says being a gentleman and letting me walk down the stairs first.

He leads me to the passenger side of the car and opens the door for me, and closes it for me once I get in.

I blush and smile to myself; he was really quite the gentleman.

He gets in the car soon after me and we start driving.

"Where are we going?" I ask curiously.

"The Grill, it is really the only restaurant in town," he answers.

_Now I will get to see what the place was like for myself._

After a few minutes of driving he parks the car and gets out. I am just about to get out as well, when he opens the door for me and offers his hand to help me out. I take it, and once I'm out, he closes the door.

Once we are inside I look around and see that it is a bar as well, and there was a pool table in the corner as well.

He leads me over to a table toward the back, and we sit.

"Can I get you two something to drink?" A waitress asks a couple of minutes after we sit.

"I'll have a glass of wine," Elijah tells her.

"And for you?" she asks me.

"Sprite, please."

"Okay, I will be back with those in a moment," she says and then leaves.

"So how was your first day as a teacher?" he asks, starting a conversation.

"It was good. The kids really were happy to be singing again."

"I'm sure they were," he says just as the waitress comes back with our drinks.

"Thank you," Elijah replies.

"Thanks," I say.

"What can I get you two, to eat?" she smiles.

Elijah gestures for me to order.

"A Caesar salad," I say.

"And for you, sir?" I see her smile at him.

"A grilled chicken sandwich," he orders.

"Your orders will be right out," she says collecting our menus and walking back to the kitchen.

There are a few minutes of silence.

"So?" I ask, breaking it. "I am just curious as to why you asked me to dinner after just meeting me," I say, hoping I don't sound rude.

"Well you had said that you had yet to make any friends, and you were alone in the park reading, so I thought you could use a nice night out," he answers.

"Well, this is very kind, especially since you barley know me," I reply with a smile.

"It's my pleasure," he assures.

"So, you mentioned you moved here with your siblings. Where are your parents?" I ask purely out of curiosity.

I see him tense at this question.

"Our family has a very complicated history," he says. He looks like he is deep in thought.

I don't press the topic anymore.

"Here is your food," the waitress says, setting it down.

"Thank you," we say, and she walks away.

"This looks delicious," I say looking at my salad.

He nods his agreement and takes a sip of his wine.

We talk and eat our food for the next hour when his phone rings.

"Excuse me," he says standing up and walking away. He returns after a few minutes and it almost appears that something is wrong.

"I'm sorry. Something has come up, so I am going to have to take you back home," he says apologetically.

"Of course. That's fine. I understand," I say, standing up and putting my jacket on.

He goes to the cashier and pays for our food. Then walks me to the car and opens it yet again.

"Thank you," I say.

He closes it and gets in and starts the car.

"I had a lovely time tonight, Miss Emerose. I am sorry we had to leave so soon."

"It's fine, and please call me Paige. I had a great time tonight as well," I blush.

He takes my hand and kisses it again.

"Goodnight, Paige," he says and let's go of my hand so I can get out.

"Goodnight, Elijah," I say and exit the car. I watch as he drives away and then head to the front door.

"Are you home, Kalinda?" I call opening the door.

"In the living room," she replies.

"So who were you out with and what did he look like? Was it a date?" she asks all at once as I enter the living room.

"No, it wasn't a date, and his name is Elijah Mikaelson, and he is very handsome," I admit.

"You're blushing," she comments. "Give me all the details."

I explain everything to her from the park to The Grill and then him having to take me home because something came up.

After I finish telling her all of this I ask her about what she had been doing at the library. Then we watch a movie and make popcorn, before heading to bed.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It was Saturday. Paige had left earlier to go to the park, to read. How boring! I was going to the public library to research the town's history. I know that probably sounds boring to a lot of people. I love history, though. I want to be a historian. I just find it so interesting. Besides, there's nothing else to do at 2 o'clock on a Saturday.

Anyway, I Google where the library actually is. It's not that far away. It's actually rather close to the park.

I just decide to walk. It's not really that far. If I'm going to be stuck in a library all day, the fresh air will do me good. Besides it was nice out.

I am walking down the road when a gust of wind picks up. It causes my long black hair to swirl around my face. As quickly as it started, the wind dies away. Weird.

When I arrive at the library, I notice it is rather small and as old fashioned as the rest of the town.

I enter, and the door creaks. "Hello?" I call out.

"Can I help you?" the librarian asks from a desk in the corner.

"I was wondering whether you had any information on the history of this town?" I ask. "I just moved here and I love history."

"Yes. We have a few books. Oh, and a file of newspaper clippings," she says. "They are just through that door there."

"Thank you," I tell her and head to where she pointed.

There really weren't many books. One is called Old Towns of Virginia. The other two were focused on Mystic Falls. There was one other book in here it was a logbook, from a ball almost 100 years ago.

I pull out Old Towns of Virginia first. Chapter 7 is Mystic Falls, Virginia. I quickly skim over the chapter. It mostly talks about slavery and the Civil War. Interesting, but not weird. A lot of southern towns were slave centered. This book is of no help to me. I return it to the shelf.

I grab the next one that is titled: Mystic Falls: A Local History.

This book also talks about the town's involvement in the Civil War. It says about how the town was found. Then it has a little paragraph on recent history.

I look at the copyright date of the book: 2011. This book was written just last year. This might be what I am looking for. These friends of mine are teens. Except Damon. Hmm, I never asked how old he is. If I have to guess, probably around my sister's age.

I open the book to that paragraph on recent history. It reads:

While the town seems nice and inviting on the outside, it actually is a dark and dangerous place. Recently, as in just this past year, there have been several animal attacks. These attacks are very uncharacteristic of animal attacks though. Animals don't maul people unless being threatened, or if they have rabies. If this were the case you would be finding several animals dead in the area. Rabies kills quickly. And several different people within the same time frame would not threaten one animal. It's just to organized to be random animal attacks. So, what's really going on in Mystic Falls?

_Wow. _I don't know what to think. Something weird is going on in Mystic Falls. Now, how does this relate to history? I pulled out the last book, but I realize it wasn't going to be of any help. It was solely on the Civil War, and Mystic Falls' part in it. Not helpful.

I sat thinking for a while before I remember the logbook. It is from a Founder's Day Ball. The guests all wrote comments. I flipped through, until a name caught my eye.

Damon Salvatore

Was this a relative of Damon? I will have to ask. Under his name is the name Stefan Salvatore. I will have to ask about that name, too.

I find the librarian and ask her where the newspaper articles are.

She points me towards the front desk. I take out a few. Ones I think my help my research.

I find a bunch on animal attacks. The librarian only has ones dating back to 1998. So, I can't gather any historical information. That's saddening, but I do have a laptop at home I can use for more research.

I take a few notes on the details of the attacks when my phone rings. I quickly return the articles, grab my notes, and walk outside to answer my phone.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Where are you?" it's my sister.

"At the library. I wanted to do some research on this town," I tell her.

"You could have at least called me and let me know you were leaving. I was worried," she scolds.

"Well, I am fine and I didn't really feel the need to tell, because, after all, I am legal to do what I want," I am starting to get annoyed.

"You're right, but it would just be nice if you let me know," she gives up.

"Is there any other reason you called besides to check up on me?" I ask.

"Actually yes. I wanted to let you know that I am not going to be home for supper so you will need to make something for yourself," she tells me.

"Why won't you be home?" I wonder.

"Because I'm going out," she says.

"With someone?"

"Well, kind of. This guy I had run into the first day we arrived here was at the park and we started talking. He asked if I would like to join him for dinner," she explains.

"And you said yes! Go Paige!" I cheer.

"Yeah," Paige laughs. "I have to get ready. See you when I get home."

"See you," I hang up.

I am a little angry with my sister. She is too much like a mom. I'm 18. She doesn't need to worry so much.

I go back inside the library to see if there is anything else I can find.

After a few hours I decide to make my way home. I am rather hungry, seeing as it is about 6:00.

When I reach home my sister is already gone. I make myself a TV dinner and sit it on the table. I go get my laptop, so I can research while I eat.

I get on Google and type in: Mystic Falls animal attacks.

I get over a billion hits. Apparently this is a major topic.

I click on one website. It's a local new report. It says: "The mysterious deaths of many townspeople are due to animal attacks, according to the local physician. There is no other explanation." Then they have a picture posted. It's a disturbing sight of a victim's neck. It had been ripped apart.

I save the website and click on a new one.

This one is a sort of medical blog type think.

Someone posted about the animal attacks and other physicians or others in the medical field replied.

I read through their replies. Seeing if there is a different theory.

Some say suicide; others say it was some sort of occult sacrifice.

For the week I've been in Mystic Falls, the occult seems unlikely. And about 7 people had been found attacked. That's too many for suicide.

No, these are not likely suggestions.

I continue to scroll down, searching for other suggestions.

I came upon one suggestion that must have been written by a crazy.

It suggests the town is infested with vampires. They are killing innocents for their blood, ripping out their throats. He seems to think it is a very likely possibility.

I roll my eyes and keep scrolling.

Even though I keep looking, my mind can't help but think about vampires.

After that night at The Grill, I came home with a piece of my memory missing. I just had a blank spot and couldn't remember anything during the time. Also, I had a rather gruesome bite mark on my throat.

I thought it was just a love bite Damon had given me during our make out session. Damon! Could vampires exist? Could Damon be one?

_Okay. I refused to think about suicide or an occult, but I will entertain the idea of vampires? What is wrong with me?_

I decide to do a little research on vampires. I grab a notebook so I can take notes.

I look up everything I can think of in relation to vampires. I want as much information as I can on vampires before I even think about confronting Damon.

_Would I confront Damon?_

I need more research. So, I continue reading s much as I can find on the Internet.

When I feel my research is complete, I glance over the notes I took.

**Vampires**

The undead

Affected by sunlight

Compulsion

Verveine (stops compulsion)

Need to be invited in

Live on blood (animal or human; most prefer human)

Sleep (not in coffins)

Can be staked (to kill)

Enemies: werewolves

It isn't much, but it will do. Now, I need to apply this to the people I've met and see if any of them fit the description

As soon as possible, I decide. I don't want to wait.

I am going to wait on telling anyone about this, though. I don't think they'll believe me. Not without proof anyway.

First, though, I need to find verveine. Luckily, my father was a well-known, world wide, herbist. I kept everything he had in a steel box. It had survived the fire. I kept it under my bed, because Paige didn't know I had it.

_Now, what does verveine look like?_

I Google it, and it is a purple plant when blossomed, or simple green leaves.

I go into my room, rifling through my father's plants before I find two stems of verveine.

_Now, how do I apply it?_

"Kalinda, I'm home," I hear Paige call.

_I'll figure it out another day._

I quickly make my way into the living room, pretending to have been watching TV all along.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

-Sunday Afternoon-

Elijah was sitting on a couch in the mansion his brother, Niklaus, had recently renovated, thinking about Saturday night. He honestly had no idea why he had decided to ask that woman to dinner. It is not like he knew her.

_Maybe it was out of pity._ He thinks. _ I mean her parents had just recently died, and she was all alone with no friends, sitting in a park. _

It was possible he just felt sorry for her and wanted her to have a little fun. Although the more he thought about it, the more that answer seemed less and less right.

I mean she is a pretty woman, with her black hair and sea blue eyes. He thinks but quickly slaps himself mentally.

He didn't have time to think that way about some woman, especially since his mother was back from the dead, so to speak.

_I need to focus on what her intentions are because I don't truly believe a word she is saying. And then there is that ball that we are planning on having in a little while. _He thinks going over the plans in his head. _I wonder if I should invite her. I bet she would look lovely in a ball gown._

He is quickly pulled out of his thoughts as his brother, Kol, walks into the room.

"What were you thinking about?" he asks curiously taking a seat on one of the chairs in front of the couch.

"That is none of your business, brother," Elijah answers.

"I was just curious," Kol defends. "I had walked by a little while ago and you were staring with a blank look on your face."

"Am I not allowed to think?" Elijah asks rather harshly.

"Of course you are. No need to get angry, brother. Kol says in a rather bored tone, although he did like making his brother annoyed.

"Is there any other reason as to why you came in here, besides to disturb my thoughts?" Elijah asks annoyed as he sees his brother smirk.

"Not really," Kol shrugs and puts his hands behind his head and smiles as his brother leaves the room annoyed.

_My family._ Elijah thinks as he walks up the stairs to his room to continue his thinking, where he hopefully wouldn't be disturbed.

Unfortunately his thoughts returned to that woman, Paige that was her name.

He just honestly didn't have time for this, but that woman was stirring feeling in him that he hasn't felt in a very long time.

He sighs and decides he would think later on about what to do about his mother. He walks out of his room and decides to take a walk. Maybe the fresh air would clear his head. He hopes as he walks down the sidewalk.

-Monday Morning-

I pull into the school parking lot and Kalinda quickly jumps out.

"Have a good day!" I call as she walks in. I gather my things and head in as well, to my classroom.

I only teach three classes a day which are chorus, which anyone can join, select choir, any guy or girl by audition, and women's choir, any woman by audition. I also have a study hall at the very end of the day, but other than that I have three free periods, but that includes lunch, so technically two free periods.

I sit down at the piano and wait for my first period students to file in. The first thing I taught was chorus for everyone.

Soon enough the bell rings and my students are sitting down ready to go. I quickly take attendance and once finished, I begin warming the kids up.

"Now class, please take out the piece we were singing yesterday. Let's start on page two, measure 10," I say giving them their starting note.

For the next forty-five minutes we sing and then the bell rings. They file out of the classroom.

My next period was free so I decide to get on my laptop and look for some songs the kids might be interested in singing.

I sigh to myself after a while of searching and look at the clock. It is 8:55 only five minutes until this period is over. Too bad it is only Monday. This teaching job is getting tiring and it's only been a few days. Granted I probably don't need to work because we are basically rich, but it feels good to make your own money. Plus it's not like I really have a social life. At least this gets me out of the house.

The bell rings, signaling the next period, which was woman's choir.

I put my laptop away and wait for my students to file in. once they are in and the bell rings I take attendance, and then we sing.

"Kelsi, I want you singing soprano on this song," I say as we start to work on our next piece.

"Alright," she says and takes a seat next tot the rest of the sopranos.

For the rest of the class period we sing and listen to a few demonstrations of their songs.

The bell rings signaling the next period, which was lunch. I grab my lunchbox from my office and head to the teachers lounge.

I know it's probably silly seeing a grown woman carrying a lunch box, but I never liked school food when I was in school, and I don't plan on eating it now.

I reach the teachers lounge and notice there is only two people in it: Alaric and some woman. Everyone else must have decided to eat in his or her rooms.

"Hi, Paige," Alaric says as I sit down in front of him.

"Hi, Alaric," I smile.

"Paige, this is Lindsay Calaway, the art teacher. Lindsay, this is Paige Emerose, the new chorus teacher," Alaric says, introducing us.

"Nice to meet you," she smiles and we shake hands.

"You, too."

"How are you liking teaching here?" she asks curiously.

"It's fun, but tiring," I say getting my sandwich out of my lunchbox.

"You have only been here for a few days, and you're already exhausted?" she questions. "Well, I can tell you it just gets worse from here."

"Lindsay, you don't have to be so negative, it's not that bad," Alaric assures joining in the conversation. "I'm sure it will get better once you get use to everything."

"Yeah," I agree taking a bite of my sandwich.

"So, where did you move here from?" she asks after a few moments of silence.

"Florida," I answer.

"Really? Why the heck would you leave Florida and move to a town like this?" she exclaims.

"Well, my parents died in a fire and my sister and I agreed that we could not live there anymore because of the bad memories," I say and watch her expression grow sorrowful.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry," she says apologetically.

"You didn't know," I say not wanting her to feel bad.

"You mentioned you had a sister. What is her name?"

"Kalinda."

"Oh my goodness. I have her in one of my art classes. She is an excellent student and a great artist," she says excitedly. "Do you have her in any of your history classes, Alaric?" she asks turning to look at Alaric.

"Yes, I do, and she is an excellent student. I can tell she really enjoys history," he says obviously proud of her effort in class, just like Lindsay.

"Well, I am very glad to hear she is doing good in both of your classes," I say, finishing my food.

"Well, I should probably head back to my class. Lunch is going to be over soon," Lindsay says standing up. "Bye Alaric, bye Paige," she says and then walks out the door.

"Bye," Alaric and I say in unison.

"Would you like to go to The Grill and grab a drink with me after school?" Alaric questions.

"Sure," I answer with a smile.

"Great," he says standing up. "See you then," he says and leaves.

"Bye," I say.

I head back to my classroom and wait for my select choir students to file in.

_At least the day is almost over._

The rest of the day goes surprisingly fast, and I am happy when the bell rings.

"Hey, I don't need a ride home," Kalinda says walking to the room. "Caroline is going to take me."

"Okay," I say. "That actually works out, because I am going to go to The Grill with Alaric and grab a drink."

"Ugh, I told you no making friends with my teachers," she says with a teasing smile.

"Oh, well live with it," I shrug and smile.

"See you," she says and leaves.

"Bye," I call back, but I doubt she heard me.

I get out to the parking lot and see Alaric standing by my car.

"Ready to go?" he asks with a smile.

"Yep," I say and he leaves and walks to his car.

Once I get there, I turn my car off and wait for Alaric to get out of his car, and then I quickly get out of mine.

Once in he leads me over to the bar and orders a beer, and I order a wine cooler. I wasn't big on drinking.

The bar tender has our drinks to us in no time, and as soon as we receive them Alaric takes a sip of his.

"You know, there is a reason I asked you here," Alaric says, staring at me.

"Oh?" I question, starting to feel uncomfortable.

"I saw you here with Elijah on Saturday," he says and takes a drink.

"You were here?" I ask wondering how the heck I had missed him.

"Yep," he confirms. "Now getting back on topic. You should stay away from him, Paige."

"Why?" I question waiting for what his answer would be.

"He is just bad news and not the type of guy you want to associate with."

I shift in my seat wondering what the heck he meant by that.

"What do you mean?" I ask afraid to hear what he was going to say. I take a sip of my drink and try to calm my nerves.

"It's hard to explain. It's just that he and his family have caused some issues," he says but doesn't make eye contact.

"Like?" I press wanting answers.

"Just trust me when I say he isn't all he appears to be. That includes his family as well," Alaric says staring off into space, obviously thinking about something.

It bothers me so much that he won't answer the question.

I start to become really panicked.

I mean had I gone out with an ex convict or maybe he was some leader of a gang or what. I take a deep breath. There are just so many thoughts running through my head.

"Just promise me that you won't get involved with and stay away from him," Alaric says bringing his attention back to me.

"Why though?" I ask.

"Just trust me," he says with hope.

"I can't trust you though unless I get an explanation," I say not ready to back down.

He sighs and finishes off his drink.

"Please just listen to me. I promise it will benefit you in the long run," he says standing up from the bar and leaving money on the counter.

I notice that it is enough to pay for both of us.

"You don't have to pay for mine," I say as he starts to walk away.

"It's fine," he calls. "Goodbye, Paige."

"Bye, Alaric," I call back and then sigh.

I still don't know what Alaric was talking about. I finish up my drink and then head to the car.

My thoughts drift to Saturday night with Elijah.

He didn't seem like a person to stay away from, in fact he seemed like a perfect gentleman.

But looks can be deceiving. I think as I pull into my driveway.

"Kalinda, I'm home," I call as I walk into the house.

"Ok," she calls from the living room.

I walk up the stairs to my room and lay down on my bed.

I am just so confused. I close my eyes and drift into a light sleep. When I wake up, I see it is suppertime so I go down stairs to the kitchen and start making food.

I decide on making Caesar salads and fruit cocktail as well.

"Dinner is ready," I call to Kalinda.

"Coming," she calls walking into the kitchen.

"This looks good," she says sitting down.

"Thank you," I say with a smile.

There really isn't much talking during supper.

After supper she does the dishes and I walk up the stairs to my room.

I fall asleep thinking about everything that has happened.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Today is Tuesday. I just got home from school. My sister has to stay after for about a half hour, because she is a teacher. So, before she gets home, I go up to my room and lock myself in.

I want to jot down a couple notes I took mentally today for what I call the "vampire project".

I have come to the conclusion that Bonnie, Elena, and Matt are not vampires.

I take out the list of people I have and begin to write down my thoughts.

Elena – cut herself in chemistry and did not heal instantaneously. Not a vampire.

Instant healing was another trait of vampires. I had just found it in a book about vampires I didn't realize I had.

Bonnie – dislikes Damon; called him a disgusting creature

Matt – Seems to0 innocent, too normal. Plays football too much like a human.

The only other people on my list are Damon and Caroline.

Damon – vampire! Bit me; think he used compulsion on me.

Now, as for Caroline, I'm still not sure about her. She's very nice and friendly, but I'm not sure that matters. Well, I'll get back to her later.

Right now, I want to figure out a way to test Damon. I need proof for myself.

I had grinded the stems of vervain into a pulp and put them into two custom made necklaces.

I kept one for myself and I plan on giving the other to my sister tonight, I want to protect her, too.

Anyway, I needed a plan. How could I test Damon? I sat thinking, numerous scenarios going through my head.

Then, the perfect idea hit me. I would have to wait, though; I needed to go out with him. Maybe I could give him a call. I had his number. Hmm, I'd have to ask Paige. I wanted her out of the house for this. If things went wrong, I didn't want her to be around.

I will have to talk to her when she gets home. Which reminds me, she should be here already. Where is she?

"Kalinda," Paige calls.

_Good timing._

"In my room," I call back.

"Did you get your homework done?" she asks, yelling up the stairs.

I roll my eyes. "Working on it," I lie.

"Good," she says.

I don't answer in hopes she'll leave me alone. I have no such luck.

"I have a meeting at five, and I am going grocery shopping after," Paige calls up.

"Okay," I say. _Perfect. She'll be out of the house. Now all I have to do is call Damon. _

I dial his number. He'd given it to me that night at The Grill.

"Hello?" Damon picks up.

"Hi. It's Kalinda," I say timidly.

"Oh, hey," Damon says. "It's good to hear from you. I thought you for got about me?"

"Of course not," I giggle. "How could anyone forget you?"

"True," Damon agrees.

I laugh, "Are you busy tonight?"

"Never for you," he flirts.

I roll my eyes. Men, human or not, are so obvious.

"Do you want to come over tonight? Say around five. My sister has a meeting then, and she is going grocery shopping after. It should give us plenty of time… alone." I swear I hear Damon growl on the other end. Men!

"I'll be there," Damon says. "You know you have the sexiest phone voice I've ever heard?"

I blush, "Oh, really?"

"Most definitely. It sounds like you've just rolled out of bed," he murmurs. "I can picture you just rolling out of bed, too. My bed. Complete with mussed up hair and no clothes.

I am in so much trouble tonight. I may not be able to control myself.

"You there?" Damon chuckles.

I clear my throat and answer, "Yes. Sorry, I got a bit distracted."

Damon laughs, "Of course you did. Thinking about us in bed already. Tsk. Tsk."

"Hey!" I complain. "You put the images there."

"Well, I'll make them come alive for you tonight. I've got to go. I'll see you at five. Good-bye for now, Kalinda," Damon practically purrs.

I shiver as I hang up the phone.

_What is that man doing to me?_

At four o'clock my sister calls me down for supper. We're having spaghetti and meatballs.

It was really good.

"Hey, Paige," I say as she finished washing the dishes.

"Yes?" she asks.

"I was walking in town the other day and I saw these cute necklaces. I had two made especially for us. It has your name engraved on it," I say holding it out to her. "You've been trying really hard, and I know I haven't made it easy. So, I wanted to get this for you."

"That is so sweet," Paige says. She hugs me. "You're the best sister I could ask for. I love you, Kalinda."

"Love you, too," I say.

Paige looks at the clock on the stove. It reads 4:32.

"I should get going," Paige says. "I want to be early."

"Alright, I'll see you tonight. Text me when you're on your way home," I tell her.

"Why?" she asks, narrowing her eyes.

"If you're going to ask me to check in with you, I think you should check in with me," I say.

"Alright," she sighs. "I guess that is reasonable."

I hug her good-bye.

I wait around nervously for five o'clock to come.

Finally, I hear a car in the driveway. I walk outside and wait on the porch steps.

I have to do this just right so as not to arouse suspicion.

"Hey," Damon smirks, walking up the stairs.

"Hi," I grin. "Let's go inside. It's kind of windy out here."

I lead him onto the porch and through the doorway. I stop when I realize he's stopped in the doorway. I look at him funny. "Don't be silly. Come in."

"Sorry. I was just thinking, you have a really nice house, considering your parents died," Damon makes up an excuse.

"They were rich. They left us quite a fortune. My dad was a herbist. Very famous, known worldwide. My mom was a doctor," I explain.

"Oh," is all Damon says.

"So, do you want the full tour or would you rather skip to my room?" I ask.

"Your room, definitely," he grins.

I lead him upstairs and to my room.

"Very nice," he says glancing around.

I sit on my bed. Damon follows suit. We just kind of sit there, staring at each other.

"You have really pretty green eyes," Damon whispers. "They sparkle."

I giggle.

Damon leans me back onto the bed, covering me with his body. "You're very pretty."

"You're very handsome," I whisper to him.

He smiles back at me. He plants kisses across my jaw and down my neck. Damon sucks gently on my neck.

I moan quietly. It feels so good.

Then he gently nips down on my sensitive skin.

I groan.

"Feel good?" Damon asks into my skin.

I nod. I don't think I'm capable of speaking at the moment.

Then he bites down hard. It breaks my skin so my precious blood spills out of my veins into his mouth.

He is doing a lot of moaning himself.

Once he is finished, he licks up the blood off my neck and leans up to stare in my eyes.

I force my eyes to be wide and scared.

"You won't remember this," he demands trying to compel me.

"Wh… what are you? I don't understand," I say feigning confusion.

Damon glances at my necklace and snarls, "Where did you get that?"

"M…my father," I lie. "He mixed a lot of herbs together and ground them down. He gave one to me and one to Paige."

"Vervain is in them," he growled.

"What is going on?" I demand to know.

"I am a vampire. Now you know, so I suppose I'll have to dispose of you. Then your sister, so she can't ask questions," Damon admits.

"No!" I yell. "Please. I can keep your secret."

"I guess this means you don't want to hang around me anymore," Damon sighs. "And I actually liked you."

"Why can't we still be together? If that's what we are?" I ask.

"You want to date a vampire?" Damon asks.

"I like you," I shrug. "As long as you don't hurt me or Paige, I'm okay with it."

Damon nods, "Does biting count as hurting?"

"Nah. I kind of like that," I blush.

Damon growls and pounces on me. He is about to bite me again when my phone chimes.

It's Paige telling me she is on her way home.

"You have to go," I tell Damon. "Call me."

"Oh, I will," Damon says.

I sigh as I watch him leave. Well, that answers my question. Now I can stop spying and just ask Damon what I want to know.

"Paige, I need to talk to you," I tell her as we finish putting away the groceries.

"Sure," Paige agrees.

"I am going to ask you of a strange request," I begin.

"Oh…kay," she says cautiously.

"That necklace I gave you, I need you to keep it on at all times. Shower with it, sleep with it, get it? And if anyone, and I mean anyone, asks, you say dad gave it to you. I can't tell you why yet, but soon. I promise. You just have to trust me," I say. "Please."

Paige nods, "I can see you are serious and desperate for me to do so, so I will. But you're kind of scaring me. You're not in some type of occult are you?"

"No," I laugh. "Don't worry, Paige. Everything is okay. Just remember what I ask."

Paige is still suspicious, I note. I gathered she would be, but I have to keep her in the dark. At least until I know everything. That way I can keep her safe. She's the only family I've got left.

"I love you," I tell her. "Good night."

"I love you, too. And you promise you're not into anything dangerous?" she asks.

I nod, "I'm sure."

"Alright. Good night," Paige says. "Sleep well."

I lay in bed thinking about Damon.

I know I should probably be scared of him, or at least wary, but I've got a crush. I'm infatuated. When I close my eyes, I see his face.

I sigh loudly I miss him already.

_This is pathetic. I'm acting like a lovesick school girl. Is that what I am?_

I drift to sleep with thoughts of Damon.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It is Friday afternoon and school is over. I am very happy that I don't have any meeting today. Which is great because Alaric, Lindsay and I all made plans to go to The Grill later tonight.

I smile to myself as I drive home. I am just so glad I am actually making friends.

"What are you so happy about?" Kalinda asks me, breaking my train of thought.

I had completely forgotten she was in the car.

"Nothing, just happy I am actually making friends," I say taking a quick glance at her.

"Yeah, with my teachers," she mumbles.

I laugh, and she looks at me annoyed and sighs.

"Why are you so against me making friends with your teachers?" I ask curiously.

"I don't know. I just find it weird," she shrugs.

"So, are you going to tell me the reason why you want me wearing this necklace yet?" I ask changing the topic as I pull into the driveway.

"You are just going to have to trust me," she smiles and hops out of the car.

_I will get the answer out of her at some point. _

"Are you doing anything tonight?" I ask Kalinda as I make my way to the living room where she was sitting on the couch.

"No," she answers. "Why?"

"Because I am going to The Grill tonight with Alaric and Lindsay," I inform her. "I just wanted to let you know. Plus, I didn't want to worry about coming home, and you not being here."

She rolls her eyes, "Even if I were I wouldn't technically need to inform you."

"But you're not though, right?"

"No," she confirms. "When are you going?" she asks curiously.

"Eight," I answer.

"You're not going to come home drunk are you?" she asks and then bursts into laughter.

"That will be the day," she chokes out through laughter.

"I will have you know that I am driving there, and you know I don't like drinking. I am just going there to talk to them, and it gives me something to do," I say as her laughter dies down.

"Goodness forbid you actually have some fun, Paige," I roll my eyes at the comment and get up from the couch. "I'm going on a walk. I'll be back in time to make supper," I call walking to the front door. I grab my jacket because it was kind of chilly today.

"Bye," she calls and I hear her start to giggle. I glance at my cell phone and see it is 3:00. I have two hours to kill before I would have to return home and make supper.

I walk down the street not necessarily having any destination in mind; I just wanted some fresh air. "How are you today, Paige?" I hear someone ask from behind me. I recognize the British accent almost immediately.

I hesitantly turn around and put on a smile. What Alaric said on Monday rings through my head, I mean I still don't know what to think of him, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be polite.

"I am doing good today. How are you, Elijah?" I answer and then ask in return.

"I am doing fine, thank you for asking," he says with a smile. "It's been a while since we have seen each other," he says walking closer to me.

"It has," I agree.

"How have you been doing?" he asks curiously. "Is the teaching job going well?"

"Yes, it is going fine. I was exhausted there for a little bit, but I have gotten used to it," I shrug.

"I am glad that you are adapting to it."

"I am," I confirm. "How have you been doing?"

"Fine. I have been dealing with some family issues," he says, and I can tell he doesn't want the topic pressed.

"Oh," is all I can think of to say.

Elijah stands there and looks at the woman before him. He glances at the necklace around her neck.

_Well, that's interesting. Now, where would she come across something like that?_

He sees her blush and realized that he had been staring at her.

"I'm sorry for staring, but I am just curious as to where you got that necklace," he says.

He notices that she hesitates to speak for a minute.

"My father gave it to me. He got my sister and I one," she says, and he sees her face fall into sadness thinking about her father.

"Well, it's a lovely necklace," he says giving her a smile. _Although it won't protect you against me._

He is not sure as to whether she knows about vampires or not. It is possible that she doesn't even know that there is anything in the necklace.

"Thank you," she replies, and he watches as she blushes once again.

He looks at her pink tinted cheeks and starts to feel something, but quickly pushes it away.

He finds himself becoming lost in her blue eyes. She really is quite attractive. He snaps himself out of those thoughts. _Why am I thinking like this?_ He asks himself.

"You're welcome," he replies realizing he was staring again. "You know I still feel bad that we were interrupted during our dinner on Saturday," he says. "Would you care to join me again, say tomorrow, and hopefully we will not be interrupted?" he asks but as soon as he does he almost wishes he could take it back. Almost.

_What is this woman doing to me? _He thinks as he waits for her answer.

I don't know what to say. I mean, I really want to say yes, but Alaric's words are haunting me.

"Yes," I say. Until he gives me a reason not to trust him, I can't really judge him. Plus, I don't want to be rude.

"Excellent," he says with a smile. "Does 1:00 work for you?"

"Yes, that should be fine," I assure.

"Until tomorrow, Paige," he says and gently kisses the top of my hand.

"Goodbye," I say feeling myself blush as he walks away.

I walk for a little while longer until I decide to head back home.

"I'm home, Kalinda!" I call once I am in the house.

"Ok!" she calls from upstairs as I walk into the kitchen. Since I have a little over three hours before I am meeting Lindsay and Alaric at The Grill, I decide to make chicken and mashed potatoes for supper.

"Ok, whatever you are making smells delicious," Kalinda says walking in.

"Thank you. It's chicken and mashed potatoes with corn and peas," I say setting the table.

"Yummy!" she exclaims helping me set the food on the table.

During dinner we talk about almost everything on our minds. I ask her yet again about the necklace, but she avoids it. After we eat she offers to clean the dishes, so I can get ready for tonight.

By the time I finish getting ready it is 7:50.

I hurry down the stairs and grab my purse and jacket and head for the door.

"Bye, Kalinda!" I call and then rush out the door to my car.

When I reach The Grill, it is 8:05.

_Well, I'm only five minutes late, not that bad._ I think to myself as I get out of the car and walk into The Grill.

"Hey, Paige, over here," Lindsay calls from the bar.

I walk over to where Alaric and her are sitting and take a seat by Alaric.

"Hi Paige," he greets.

"Hi, Alaric. Hi, Lindsay," I say greeting them as well.

"Hi," Lindsay smiles.

"What would you like to drink?" the bar tender asks me.

I order a strawberry wine cooler.

"Not big into drinking are you?" Lindsay asks curiously.

"Not really," I say as the bar tender hands me my drink.

"How old are you?" she asks curiously.

"21," I answer taking a sip of my drink.

"Oh, wow. So you've only started drinking," she states. "When is your birthday?"

"October 5," I answer.

"I'm sure by then you will be more adventurous as to what you get to drink," she says with a confident smile.

I just smile in return.

_I mean she is nice and all, but I don't really think she thinks before she says anything. She seems so full of energy._ I think to myself.

"I think you are annoying her, Lindsay," Alaric says.

"No, it's fine," I smile.

"See, Alaric," Lindsay says, happy he wasn't right.

Alaric rolls his eyes.

I giggle.

Alaric finishes off his drink and orders another one, and soon after Lindsay does the same.

I have barely drunk half of mine, and they are already on their second glasses of rinks.

"Hello, Alaric. How are you today?" someone asks from beside us.

I look over to see a man with blond hair and blue eyes.

I look over and see an annoyed, yet angry look on Alaric's face.

"Who's this?" the man asks me. I not he has a British accent like Elijah's. "I haven't seen you around before."

"I'm Paige Emerose," I say introducing myself. "I just recently moved here with my sister about a week ago."

"Pleased to meet you, Paige," he smiles. "I'm Klaus Mikaelson," he introduces himself.

_That explains the British accent. I bet he is one of Elijah's siblings._

"You, too," I smile, as he kisses the top of my hand.

"What do you want, Klaus?" Alaric says, and I can see he is angry.

"I'm going to go to the restroom," Lindsay says excusing herself.

"No need to be rude, Alaric," Klaus says and orders a drink. "I'm just trying to be friendly."

"Sure," Alaric mumbles.

I wonder why they don't like each other.

When Klaus receives his drink he takes a sip. I see him stare at my necklace.

"I see you are already trying to protect the new people in town," Klaus says to Alaric gesturing toward my necklace.

I see Alaric glance at it.

What in the world does he mean by that? I think. What in the heck is up with this necklace? What did Kalinda give me?

"He didn't give it to me, my father did," I lie again for the second time today.

"Is that so?" Klaus says and take another drink. "Does she know anything about this town?" Klaus asks Alaric curiously.

I look over at Alaric and see his facial expression turn to confusion and he looks at me.

"What do you mean? I am confused," I say honestly.

"Now you're not playing dumb are you, sweetheart?" Klaus asks me, and I cringe slightly.

His voice almost sounded menacing.

"N…no," I stutter. He stares at me some more, and I start to squirm under his gaze.

"Hmm," he says. "I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. Especially since you are associating with him," he looks over at Alaric, and smirks when he sees Alaric's face go white.

"I think it's time for you to leave, Klaus," Alaric says threateningly.

"Don't tell me what to do, Alaric. But, you're right. I've got some things to take care of," Klaus says standing up. "It was nice meeting you, Paige," he says with a smirk and ten leaves.

I cringe again. That smile or smirk or whatever it was did not seem sincere.

"Hey guys. Sorry I took so long. I didn't want to interrupt your conversation so I talk to Sarah for a little bit," she says gesturing to a table that a woman is seated at.

"It's fine, Lindsay," Alaric says, but I can tell he is still upset over Klaus's words.

She smiles.

"Alaric, what was he talking about?" I question as he orders another drink.

"Nothing," Alaric answers. "He was just trying to scare you off."

"You know what guys, on second thought, I think I'm going to head out. See you both Monday," Lindsay says standing up.

"See you," Alaric and I say in unison.

"Now, Alaric, please tell me what he meant. Why did he ask if you were trying to protect me? What is up with this necklace? Is he Elijah's brother? I ask all in one breath.

"I already told you he meant nothing. Yes he is Elijah's brother. It would benefit you to stay away from him as well. About that necklace, just make sure you keep it on at all times," he answers, finishing yet another drink.

I take another sip of mine; trying to calm the anger I am feeling.

"I think you've had enough drinks!" I exclaim, as he is about to order another. "And please, why must I keep this necklace on? What is so important about this necklace?" I ask really annoyed and irritated that he won't answer.

"It will benefit you and protect you," is all he says.

"Protect me from what? It is just a necklace!" I exclaim furious he wasn't answering.

"Paige, just please promise you will keep it on," he says almost like a question.

"Why should I?" I question angry. "I mean you won't even tell me why!" I exclaim.

_First Kalinda! Now him! What the heck!_

He sighs obviously frustrated. "Just trust me."

I let out a huff of frustration.

_I wonder if there is something wrong with the town_. I think as a possibility. _All though what would Kalinda know that I didn't. Ugh, this stupid necklace! _I scream in my head. _People need to stop telling me what to do. I am plenty old enough to make my own decisions_.

"Well, I think I am going to go. Goodbye, Alaric," I say not caring if I sounded rude.

"Bye, Paige," he says and I see him order another drink as I walk away.

_I am going to have to talk to Kalinda long and hard about this necklace. Now I am starting to think she didn't just give it to me out of the kindness of her heart._ I think angrily as I drive home.

Once I reach home, I park in the driveway and hurriedly get out of the car, and into the house.

"Kalinda, where are you?" I ask walking up the stairs.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" she asks. "I'm tired."

"I want to know why you gave me this necklace!" I call through her door. "And no excuses! Tell me now! What do you know that I don't?"

I wait for a reply, but it never comes.

"Kalinda!" I call angrily. "Answer me now! There was another reason you gave it to me besides wanting to be nice, wasn't there?" I ask.

"Paige, please just trust me that is all I am asking. Please!" she calls desperately through the door.

"I will get it out of you and for your sake it better not be anything bad or dangerous," I call threateningly, and walk to my room. I flop down on my bed and scream into my pillow.

I wish someone would just be honest with me. I think as I stand up and get ready for bed.

Once finished I lie down and try to fall asleep.

Unfortunately for me, I can't fall into a deep sleep and wake up a lot during the night.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

It was Saturday night, and I was excited.

Damon, Caroline, Bonnie, Elena, Matt, and I were going to The Grill. Bonnie was rather reluctant, because Damon was going to be there, but Elena convinced her.

"Paige, I'm going out tonight. A bunch of us are going to The Grill," I tell her.

"Do you need the car?" she asks.

"No," I shake my head. "Damon is picking me up. He should be here soon."

"Alright. Have fun," Paige says.

"Thanks. Are you doing anything tonight?" I ask her.

"No," she sighs. "I'll stay home and watch Oprah or something."

I look at her funny, "Um, have fun with that."

"I will," she laughs.

A knock sounds at the door.

"See you later," I call as I head out.

"Be safe," she yells in return.

I don't even know what she meant by that.

"Ready?" Damon asks as I open the door.

"Yep," I smile. "Bye, Paige."

Damon takes my hand and leads me to the car. "You look nice."

I was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a flowing white blouse. And a cream scarf tied around my neck. Damon had left a rather nasty bite mark. It still wasn't fully healed.

"Thank you," I tell him.

"You're welcome," he kisses me. As he drives us towards The Grill, he takes my hand.

"So, are any of my other friends supernatural?" I ask him.

He glances at me. "Caroline is a vampire. Though she's rather new. Oh, and Bonnie is a witch. We don't get along. Witches don't really like vampires in general, but she really hates me.

"What did you do?" I ask him.

"Nothing!" Damon denies.

For some reason, I don't believe him.

"Is that everyone?" I ask.

"Well, Elena is human. But she's a doppelganger. Oh, and she used to date my brother," Damon explains.

My mind flashes to that logbook. "Stefan," I murmur.

Damon glances over at me.

"What?" I ask.

"You're not stalking me, are you?" he asks.

"No," I laugh. "I saw a logbook from a ball a hundred years ago."

"Oh," Damon says.

It's quiet for a few minutes.

"Alaric Saltzman, your history teacher, is a vampire hunter," Damon says.

"Does he hunt you?" I ask.

"No. We work together to take down the ones even more crueler than I am," Damon says.

"You're not cruel," I tell him. "Who are these big bad vampires?"

"Well, our main concerns are Elijah and Klaus," Damon says. "And there is Rebekah. She wants to kill Elena. Elijah used to, now it's mainly just Rebekah. Klaus is making hybrids. We don't like it. Klaus is a hybrid himself. Hybrid is referring to half werewolf, half vampire.

"Oh my," I say.

"Yes, so stay away from Klaus and Elijah," Damon says.

"So did you tell our group of friends that I know?" I ask him.

"No," he says. "They'll find out, eventually."

I roll my eyes at him.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing," I deny.

"We're here," he says.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," I say.

Damon rolls his eyes now, "Just get out of the car."

"Such a gentleman," I say getting out.

He takes my hand and leads us into The Grill.

"Wait," I say, stopping right inside the door.

"What now?" Damon asks.

I pout, "All I was going to ask was if we were together."

"You want to be my girlfriend?" Damon asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," I giggle. "You're not as bad as you like to think you are."

"Whatever," Damon says.

"Whatever? What are you? A 13 year old girl?" I ask.

"No" he rolls his eyes.

"Can you just be normal for like 5 seconds and ask me out?" I ask him.

"Fine, Kalinda, will you be my girlfriend? I just won't be able to live without you. You are the sun in my sky, the light of my life," Damon proclaims. "I am nothing, nothing!, without you."

"You ruined it. But, yes, I will," I say. Then I stalk off to where I see Bonnie and Caroline sitting, leaving Damon to follow.

"Hey," Caroline smiles as I reach the table. "I thought you were coming with Damon?"

"I did," I said. "I left him by the door."

"Why?" Bonnie asks. "Not that I don't prefer him there."

"Because he was being stupid," I say.

"She asked me to ask her out, so I did," Damon says appearing behind me.

"What took you so long?" I ask.

"Saw someone I know," Damon says. "Stopped for a second to say hello."

"Elena and Matt should be here soon," Bonnie says.

We all looked at her.

"Just thought I'd tell you," Bonnie puts her hands up in defeat.

Elena arrived about five minutes later, without Matt.

"Matt and I broke up," Elena said as she sat down.

"Oh, no. Why?" Bonnie asks.

"We just didn't work out," Elena shrugs. "It's too difficult with me being involved in so much, and him not wanting to be involved."

I am guessing by "so much" she means vampire stuff.

"I am so sorry," Caroline says.

"No, really, it was probably for the best," Elena says.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie says.

"Yes," Elena says. "Let's talk about something else."

"Alright, let's talk about how Damon and Kalinda are dating now," Caroline grins.

I blush, and Damon smirks.

"What? Since when?" Elena asks.

"Since about 2 minutes ago," Damon says.

"Scarf," Caroline murmurs. "Give away."

"Ew," Bonnie says, just now realizing why I'm wearing the scarf.

I blush again.

They all look at me funny.

Just then a guy comes over to our table.

"Stefan," Damon says.

So, this is Damon's brother. He looks like Damon.

"Stefan," Elena greets.

"Can I join you?" Stefan asks.

"I guess," Elena sighs.

"Did you know Damon is dating Kalinda now?" Caroline asks Stefan.

"Who is Kalinda?" Stefan asks.

"Me!" I wave.

Damon grabs the hand I am waving and pulls it down, underneath the table. "You are too energetic today."

I smile at him.

"So, Kalinda, are you new in town?" Stefan asks.

"Yes," I nod. "My sister and I moved here from Florida after our parents died."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he says. "How old are you? Do you still go to high school?"

"I'm 18. I'm a senior," I say.

"Cool," Stefan says. "I'm actually a senior, too. I'm going back to school tomorrow. I've been… sick recently, and I'm just going back."

_Sure. Sick._ I think. _I'll have to ask Damon what "sick" means._

"I didn't know you were better," Elena says. "You didn't tell me."

"I didn't think you cared," Stefan shrugs.

"Stefan," Elena chides. "You know I loved you. I still love you."

"Elena and Stefan were really serious," Caroline whispers to me. "Then he screwed up."

"Oh," I say. _I'll have to ask Damon about that, too._

"So, how about we ditch these people and go burn off that energy of yours," Damon suggests into my ear.

But, just then, another man interrupts our table.

"Excuse me," the man says.

Damon groans, "Elijah."

My eyes widen. Elijah! I look up at him. He has short brown hair and brown eyes. He's dressed in a suit. _Weird._

"Who is this young lady?" he asks me.

"Kalinda Emerose," I introduce myself.

He looks at me for a second. "Are you related to Paige?"

"Yes," I nod. "She's my sister. How do you know her?"

"We've gone out a couple times," he smiles. "We were supposed to go out tonight, but we had to reschedule for tomorrow."

"Oh," I smile. "Well, I'm glad she's making new friends."

"He is not a good friend to have," Damon murmurs.

"Now, don't be spreading rumors," Elijah says.

"They're true. What are you doing with Paige anyway?" Damon says. "I never thought you'd go for someone so… lively."

Elijah narrows his eyes at Damon, "Same goes for you. But I see you're more his toy," Elijah says to me, eyeing my scarf.

I scowl. I am not a toy!

"Let's go, Kalinda," Damon says. He takes my hand and leads me outside.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"My place," he says. "We won't be interrupted there."

I just roll my eyes.

"We can be alone," he whispers in my ear.

I giggle, "What about Stefan?"

"He'll be too busy trying to get Elena back," Damon shrugs.

"Really?" I ask.

"Yes," he says. "Stefan has finally come to his senses. He's off human blood. He loves her. I don't get it."

"Well, she's pretty, I guess, and she seems really nice. I'm sure there is a lot to love about her," I say.

"No," he laughs. "I meant, the love thing. I don't understand love."

"You've never been in love?" I gasp. "Even after hundreds of years?"

"No," Damon says. "Unless you count Katherine. But that was more obsession than love."

"Oh," I frown. "Well, I guess it takes someone special to show you love."

He smiles down at me, "Have you ever had a drink?"

"Yes, but don't tell Paige," I say.

"How about we just go back to my place for a drink?" Damon says.

He'd been driving for a while now. I'd thought that's where we were going. "I thought we were headed to your house?"

"Well, yes, but now only to have a couple drinks, then I'll bring you back home," Damon says.

"What?" You don't want to get me into your bed?" I ask.

"Not yet. I'm learning you're a special girl, Kalinda," Damon says. "Maybe you'll be the one to show me love."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"You are not seriously going out with Elijah, are you?" Kalinda asks walking into my room.

"Yes, I am, not that it is any of your concern," I snap.

"Paige, please don't. You need to stay away from him!" Kalinda says seriously.

"You know Alaric said that, too," I say as I put on my eyeliner. "He wouldn't give me a reason as to why. I assume you aren't going to either," I say annoyed.

"He is bad news and you need to stay away from him," she says firmly. "I don't want you associating with him."

"Kalinda, stop!" I yell. "Just stop." I say and lay on my bed.

"Paige," she says walking over to me.

"Kalinda what is up with this necklace? What do you know that I don't? Give me one good reason why I should keep it on and why I should not see Elijah." I ask after a few minutes of silence. I look at her and see she is biting her bottom lip. "Maybe if the reasons are legit I will stay away from him and stop asking questions about this necklace," I say hoping I can get her to speak.

"Paige, it's just, I'm, I can't," she finally says.

I let out a huff of frustration and sit up.

"Kalinda, please, you know you can tell me anything. Are you in some sort of trouble? Please, Kalinda, tell me," I basically beg.

"Trust me. That is all I am asking," she pleads.

"I am so sick of that stupid answer! How am I supposed to trust you if you won't even tell me the truth?" I ask irritated "I'm not stupid. I know you are lying to me. Now get out of my room! I have to finish getting ready." I say standing up and practically push her out of my room.

"Paige, please listen to me. Don't go out with him today!" she begs, as I get ready to shut my door.

"You can't stop me, Kalinda. I am old enough to make my own decisions and until you or Alaric give me any good reason to stay away from Elijah, I won't," I say and close the door in her face and lock it.

"Paige!" she calls through it.

I don't respond and walk over to my closet. I go through all of my clothes and finally pick a blue cocktail dress. It's spaghetti strap and it comes to just above my knees.

_He'll probably be wearing a suit as usual so this should be good. I just hope it's not too fancy._ I think to myself as I put it on.

I look at myself in the mirror once I have it on and smile. I look at my cell phone and see it is 5:30. Elijah would be here at 6, so that gives me a half hour to curl my air and finish getting ready.

Once I finish getting ready, I see it is 5:50. I hurry and put on my jewelry and head downstairs.

"What time is he coming?" I hear Kalinda call from behind me.

"Six," I answer as I head into the kitchen.

"Can you do something for me since you are obviously not going to listen to me about going out with him?" she asks coming into the kitchen.

"What?" I ask annoyed.

"Could you not invite him in?" she asks looking at the ground.

"What kind of question is that?" I ask now irritated.

"A serious one," she answers. "Please just don't invite him in," she says desperately.

"Kalinda, I will do whatever I want. Please stop asking me stupid things," I say angry now. "Oh, and why on Earth don't you want me to invite him in?" I ask wanting to hear her reasoning.

"Just please don't," is all she says.

"You'll have to do better than that," is ay and just then there is a knock at the door.

"Please?" she pleads behind me as I walk to the door. "Don't let him in."

"Kalinda, just stop! I don't want to hear it!" I yell as I open the door.

"Paige!" she yells.

"Hello, Elijah," I say putting on a smile.

"Is everything okay?" he asks curiously.

"Yes, everything is fine. My sister is just being rude and doesn't want me to invite you in for some odd reason," I answer.

"Is that so?" he asks. I see him glance at Kalinda who is standing behind me by the stairs.

"But, of course, you are more than welcome to come in," I say kindly.

He steps into the house and smiles.

"Paige, I'm going to my room," Kalinda informs me and then runs up the stairs.

"I'm so sorry you had to listen to us fight," I apologize.

"It's quite alright. I understand that siblings can be hard to deal with," he says but I can see he is troubled by the comment. "You look lovely by the way," he says smiling at me.

"Thank you," I blush. "You look very handsome in your suit, as usual," I say with a smile.

"Thank you," he smiles.

"Just let me grab my jacket and purse and we can head out," I say walking over to where I keep my things. I hurry up and grab them and then walk over to the door where he is standing and put on my heels.

"Ok, ready," I say putting on my jacket.

"Shall we?" he says with a smile and opens the door and leads me to his car.

He opens the passenger's door for me and once I'm in he closes it. Soon after he is in the car, starting it up, and driving down the road.

"You know, you are quite the gentleman," I say after a few minutes of silence.

"Well, thank you. It is one of the things I pride myself in being."

"Well, you do a very good job at it," I smile.

He pulls into the parking lot of The Grill and parks and then turns the car off and gets out and walks over to my side and opens the door.

"Thank you," I smile, and he holds out his hand for me to take.

I take his hand and he helps me out of the car and then closes the door.

"Let's hope this time we will not be interrupted or have to reschedule," he says as we walk in.

"Well, you know what they say: 'Third times a charm'," I say and then giggle.

"Yes, well let's hope it is," he smiles as we sit down at a booth.

"Yes, let's," I say optimistically.

"So, how have you been doing?" he asks me. "I do hope that everything is going well with you."

"It is well besides the fact that Kalinda and I seem to be fighting a lot lately," I say sadly.

"And why is that?" he asks sincerely.

"It's just she keeps telling me to do all of these things without giving me any reason as to why," I say a little angry.

"Oh, and what type of things are you talking about? If you do not mind me asking?" he asks as a waitress comes over.

"What can I get ya'll to drink," she asks with a peppy smile.

"Wine for me," Elijah answers. "Would you like a glass as well? I am paying," he informs sternly.

"Well, um sure," I answer.

"I will be right back with your drinks," she says and then walks over to the bar.

"Well, it all started with this necklace," I say hesitantly.

"The one your father gave you?" he questions.

"Yes," I lie.

"What is your sister telling you to do with the necklace?" he asks.

"Just that she ants me to keep it on at all times," I say and see him glance at it. "But she won't tell me why."

"I see. Well, that is an interesting request," he says as the waitress brings us our drinks.

"Now what can I get you to eat?" she asks.

We quickly order and then she takes our menus and leaves.

"Isn't it, though?" I say continuing our conversation. "And then there was that whole thing you heard tonight about her not wanting me to invite you in. Again I am really sorry about her rude behavior."

"It's quite alright, there is no need to be sorry," he assures.

"Thanks," I say with a smile. "How about we talk about you. I feel so bad I am sitting her blabbing about my life and personal problems which I'm sure you don't care to hear," I say awkwardly.

"No, it is fine. I like hearing things about you even if that means listening to some problems you might be having," he says kindly with a soft smile.

I blush. _Such a gentleman,_ I think to myself. "Aw, that is very sweet of you," I reply kindly.

"Here is your food," the waitress says sitting it on the table. "Enjoy ya'll."

"Thank you," we reply and then she walks away.

"Mm, this looks delicious," I say looking at my food.

"You know you really do not have to pay for this. I am more than capable," I inform him, and then take a bite of my food and he takes a sip of his wine.

"Even if that may be, I want to pay for it," he assures.

"Well, thank you, very much, but it is just that you paid last time, and…," he cuts me off with a wave of his hand.

"Nonsense, I assure you it is fine," he says firmly, taking a bite of his food.

"So, how are you and your siblings doing?" I ask him curiously after a few moments of awkward silence.

"We are doing okay, we still have got some issues but we are fine. Our mother moved back to town and moved in with us," he says.

"Oh, well, are you happy about that?" I ask and I see a look cross his face, but as quick as it comes, it is gone.

"I haven't seen her in quite some time, and it is nice to," he pauses. "Reunite."

"Enough about me," he says changing the subject.

I note that his family must be a touchy topic, because very time I bring it up he changes the topic.

"Let's talk more about you," he suggests.

"Well, what do you want to know?" I ask.

"Anything you wish to share."

"Let's see, my father was a well known herbist, and my mother was a doctor, so we are kind of rich," I say and hold back the tears coming to my eyes. I haven't talked about them in awhile. I see him glance at my necklace at the mention of my father being an herbist.

"I see," he says. "You miss them a lot don't you?" he states like a question.

"Yes," I answer honestly. "I have been so busy with my job and taking care of Kalinda, I've barely had time to deal with any of my emotions," I say letting a few tears spill out of my eyes. "I just can't believe they are gone," I say holding back a sob.

"I know it must be hard to accept and I am terribly sorry I have upset you," he apologizes.

"No, it's not your fault," I say wiping a few tears from my eyes. "It's mine for choosing them to talk about."

He grabs my hand comfortingly, and I smile.

"In the time that either of them were home they always made sure they spent time with us. We weren't like the rich stereotypical families you se eon TV. A nanny didn't raise us, or a maid or butler," I let out a small laugh. "Granted we did have a nanny but it was our parents who raised us. Every minute they were home they were teaching us and doing things with us. I will always treasure the time I had with them," I say letting more tears spill from my eyes.

He let's go of my hand and walks over to my side of the booth and sits down.

"They sound like they were very good people," he says and he wipes a few tears off my cheek.

"They were," I confirm with a little smile.

He puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his shoulder and the tears break free that I was holding back. He rubs my back comfortingly and just lets me cry.

After a few minutes of us sitting like this I bring my head up to look at him.

He smiles sympathetically at me.

"I am so sorry for crying on our…," I stop myself. Was this a date?

I hear him give a small chuckle.

"On our date?" he asks with a smile.

"Yes, our date. It was just that I wasn't sure if that was what this was," I say feeling slightly embarrassed. I hear him chuckle again.

"Yes, of course that is what this is," he smiles assuring me.

"Well, I am glad," I blush.

"Are you ready to head home?" he asks.

"I should probably go back it is getting late," I say although I really don't want this date to end.

"Then let us go," he says taking my hand and leading me out of the booth.

Once we get to his car he opens the door for me as usual and then closes it once I am in. He gets in and starts it and in no time we are headed to my house.

"Look at that," I say happily.

"What?" he questions with a raised eyebrow.

"Third time is a charm.'

"Yes, it seems it is," he smiles.

Once we reach my house he gets out of the car and opens the door for me and helps me out of the car.

He walks up with me to the front porch.

"I had a lovely time tonight with you, Paige," he says with a smile.

"I had a great time with you as well," I say kindly.

He looks at me for a few minutes and before I know it he is leaning toward me and kissing me.

It takes my brain a minute to react before I start to kiss him back.

I feel him slip a piece of paper into my hands before breaking the kiss.

"What is this?" I question.

"It is an invitation to a ball my family and I are having. I would like it very much if you would attend as my date," he says with a smile.

"I would be more than happy to," I assure him.

"Well until then," he says with a smile. "Goodnight, Paige," he says walking down the porch steps.

"Goodnight, Elijah," I call as he gets into his car.

I smile to myself and watch as he drives off. I touch my lips and it makes me smile even more as well as blush. I look at the invitation and read the ball is on this coming Saturday.

I walk into the house and then up the stairs to my room and get ready for bed. I fall asleep with thoughts of what happened tonight.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

It's Wednesday already, and Damon just called me to tell me to come over.

He didn't even ask. How rude!

So, I had to get ready to go to Damon's.

I decided on a cute plaid button up shirt, and a pair of boot out jeans. I put on black dress boots that had silver buckles up the side.

"Paige, I'm going to Damon's," I call out. "I'll be back later."

"When is later?" she asks.

"I don't know," I say. "Whenever I get back."

"Don't be like that, Kalinda. I'm just trying to look out for you," Paige says.

"Yeah, and when I gave you that necklace and warned you about Elijah, I was trying to look out for you. When you listen to me, I'll listen to you," I yell.

"You won't give me any reason!" Paige shouts.

"Because I'm trying to protect you!" I say. "If I gave you a reason, the real reason, you wouldn't be safe."

"What are you involved in?" Paige asks me.

"It's not me! It's your boyfriend!" I shout as I walk out the door.

Right, before the door closes I hear her yell, "He's not my boyfriend!"

I just roll my eyes and get in Damon's car.

"Everything okay?" he asks.

"No, my sister is too stubborn," I say. "I know she deserves a reason, but I don't want to put her in any danger. Though, maybe if I tell her she'll stay away from Elijah."

"Maybe," Damon shrugs. "Maybe not. But don't you think she deserves to at least make her own decision, with all the information?" Damon asks as we walk into his house.

It was a really nice place.

"Since when did you become the reasonable one?" Stefan says, entering the foyer.

"When did you become the eavesdropper?" Damon shot back.

"Touché," was all Stefan says.

"I'll show you my room," Damon says. "You didn't get to see it last weekend."

"You wanted to only have a drink," I roll my eyes.

"Hey," he says. "I was trying to be a gentleman."

"Has that gone out the window now?" I ask.

"I just want away from Stefan," he laughs.

"Sure," I smile. "You're just lucky I don't mind."

Damon throws his arm around my shoulders and leads me up a set of stairs to his bedroom.

I lay down on his bed, and Damon lied down beside me. I curl into his body.

"Tired?" Damon asks me.

"Yeah, a little," I sigh. "I stayed up late last night."

"Doing what?" Damon asks.

"Thinking about my parents," I whisper. "I miss them so much." Tears started streaming out of the corners of my eyes.

Damon hugged me close and kissed my forehead. He didn't say anything; he didn't have to. His comforting me was enough. It made me feel safe and cared for.

"Thanks," I whisper to him.

"Anytime," he smiles softly.

"See, you can be sweet," I giggle.

Damon chuckles, "I guess I can be."

I yawn widely.

"Sleep," Damon murmurs. "It seems you could use it."

I did just that.

I wake up sometime later. Damon is asleep beside me. His arm is wrapped around my waist.

"Damon," I whisper. I glance around his room, looking for a clock. It was nearing five o'clock. We'd been asleep for hours! "Damon!"

"Huh? What?" Damon asks, sitting up quickly.

"You fell asleep," I laugh. "It's nearly five."

"Holy shit!" Damon swears. "Are you supposed to be home?"

"Nah," I say. "Paige and I got into a fight."

"Oh, well, does she know where you are? I don't want her to worry," Damon says.

"Let her," I shrug.

"You're just as stubborn as you make Paige out to be," Damon tells me.

I stick my tongue out at him.

"Very attractive," he notes.

"Whatever," I say.

"I'm coming up," Stefan calls from downstairs.

"Of course," Damon groans.

"It's not like we were doing anything," I say.

"I know," Damon sighs. "Still…"

I giggle and kiss him on the cheek.

Then there is a knock on the door.

"Come in," Damon says.

"Sorry to interrupt," Stefan says before entering the room.

"Is there a reason for it?" Damon raises an eyebrow.

"I just wanted o say Elena hasn't agreed to take me back, yet. But," Stefan grins. "She has agreed to accompany me to the Ball!"

"Congratulations," I say when I realize Damon isn't going to say anything.

"Thank you, Kalinda," he says. "I'll go now."

When he left, I smacked Damon's chest. "You could have at least said something."

Damon shrugs, "He knows me. He wasn't expecting anything."

I shake my head in disbelief.

"Actually, that reminds me," Damon says. "Would you like to accompany me to the ball?"

"What ball?" I ask.

"Hosted by the Mikaelson's," Damon says.

I look at him, "Alright."

"Great," he says. "You'll have to get a classic ball gown."

"When is the ball?" I ask.

"Saturday," Damon says.

"Saturday! I have to go. So not enough warning time," I say as I bolt off the bed and flit down the stairs.

"Calm down," Damon says.

"Can't. I need to go shopping. Take me home. I'll call you tomorrow," I say in a rush.

"Paige!" I call when I enter.

"You had me so worried, Kalinda!" she says as she comes in the room and hugs me.

"I'm sorry for everything," I say. "I need your help. I've been invited to a ball and must go shopping."

"I have, too!" Paige grins. "I forgot to tell you."

"Great!" I smile. "Let's go."

We go to a mall just outside of Mystic Falls.

We spend hours trying on gown after gown, shoe after shoe.

Nothing seemed right.

Then, Paige walked out in a lovely blue ball gown. The top was brighter and it paled out when it got to the skirt. It also had a light dusting of silver sparkles.

"You look beautiful," I tell her. "With those silver heels you had on earlier, you'll look like a princess."

"I love it, too," she grins. "Thank you. This is the dress."

Now, I just have to find one.

We go to a couple more stores until I come upon a bridal shop.

"Can we go in here?" I ask.

"Whatever you want," Paige agrees.

I smile happily. I look around for a while until I find the perfect dress.

It's white. It's a strapless top with a beading of pearls. It flowed out in a typical ball gown style. A rose sash went around the waist.

"It's so beautiful," I murmur. "I want it."

I buy it along with a pair of white pumps. It's perfect.

When we get home, I suddenly think of something.

"Paige, who are you going to the ball with?" I ask her.

"Elijah," she grins. "He asked me the other day when he was here."

"Paige! I've told you to not go out with him. He's not good for you," I tell her.

"I really wish you'd stop saying that. He is really nice man. He's very generous and kind. I don't know why you don't like him," she says.

"He's not who he appears to be. Why can't you just understand that I'm trying to keep you safe! He's dangerous!" I say.

"I don't believe you. I won't believe you until you tell me why he's dangerous, why you didn't want to invite him in!" she yells.

"I can't! You'll think I'm crazy!" I say.

"Try me!" she demands.

"He's a freaking vampire!" I yell. "I don't know what his deal with you is, but I'm sure it's into anything good."

"I think that imagination of yours has got away from you," she laughs.

"See, that's why I didn't want to tell you. You don't have to laugh at me. I know he is. You'll see," I say, sounding hurt.

Paige just laughs harder.

I leave, not knowing where I'm going. I just go.

I End up at The Grill. I see Caroline and Elena there, so I head over to their table.

"Hey, guys. Do you mind if I join you?" I ask.

"Of course not," Caroline says. "What have you been up to today?"

"Dress shopping. Damon invited me to be his date for the ball," I tell them.

"I'm going with Stefan," Elena blushes.

"So I heard. I was at Damon's earlier."

"Ah, well, Caroline is going, too," Elena says.

"Well I couldn't refuse Klaus. You just don't do that," Caroline says. "I didn't have much of a choice."

"My sister is going with Elijah. I keep telling her not to get involved with him. I was trying to protect her, so I didn't tell her why. Then when I finally snapped and did, she laughed at me," is ay. I was so frustrated I didn't realize my slip.

"Um, what?" Caroline asks.

My eyes widened. "Huh?"

"You know?" Elena asks.

I sigh. "Yes. Elijah already knows. You might as well, too. Damon tried to compel me, but my necklace wouldn't allow it. It has vervain in it."

"I think it's better you know," Elena says. "You know what's going on then."

"But, she's more likely to be hurt," Caroline says.

"See, I don't believe that," I say. "Now, I know better than to invite strangers into my home. Though my sister invited Elijah in."

"Good point," Caroline agrees.

I eventually make my way home. Though I ignore Paige and go straight to my room.

I'm still mad.

I finally fall asleep after hours of tossing and turning.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"See you inside," Kalinda says as her and Damon pass me in the parking lot.

"See you," I say with a smile and lock my car.

_I am so glad they let me follow them here or I would have been terribly lost._ I think as I walk to the front of the house. _Plus it was nice to actually meet Damon_.

Once I walk into the huge mansion I stop and look around. There is a beautiful grand staircase right when you walk in.

_Elijah and his family must be set when it comes to money._ I think as I look around. _Even more so then Kalinda and I. _

I look around the massive crowd of people to see if I recognize anyone when I notice Elijah walking toward me.

"You look lovely as always," he greets and kisses the top of my hand.

"Thank you," I smile. "And you look very dashing in your tux." I say, and he chuckles.

"Well, thank you," he smiles. "I am so glad that you were able to make it."

"I am very glad you invited me or I would have sat alone watching TV laying on the couch in my pajamas," I say and then laugh.

"What about your sister?" he asks curiously. "Isn't she probably doing just that?"

"No. Damon invited her to go with him as his date," I say looking around to see if I can spot them.

"Is that so," he says

"Yep," I answer even though it wasn't a question.

"Will you excuse me for a moment," he says and then walks away into the crowd.

_They must have invited the whole town_. I think to myself as I finally spot Kalinda and Damon.

I give her a small wave and she smiles and ten turns back to talk with people.

I see her talking to a blond curly haired girl. I notice two other people talking to them as wee. A girl with curly brown hair and a guy standing next to her with brow hair who sure bares a resemblance to Damon.

_Maybe they are brothers. _I think to myself. Then I notice Elijah walking toward them. I see him tap the girl with curly brown hair on the shoulder and they start talking and then excuse themselves and start walking away from the group.

_Interesting._ I think and I can see that both Damon and the boy who had been standing by her are angry.

I was getting ready to walk over to them when I hear someone call my name.

I look and see it was Alaric. I smile at him and he motions for me to come over.

"Hi, Alaric," I say once I get over to him.

"H, Paige," he smiles.

I look and notice he is standing by some people I don't recognize, except the one. "Paige, I would like you to meet Carol Lockwood, the mayor of the town," he says introducing me to a woman with brown hair done up in a bun and brown eyes. "Carol, this is Paige Emerose."

"Nice to meet you," she says with a smile.

"You, too," I say in return.

"This is Meredith Fell," he says introducing the woman beside him. "She is a doctor at the hospital."

"Nice to meet you," I say and we shake hands.

"You, too," she smiles.

"And this is Liz Forbes, the sheriff of the town," he introduces.

_I thought she looked familiar._ I think.

"Yes, we've met before," she says with a smile. "I ran into her cart at the grocery store," she says and then laughs.

"Yes, you did," I say and laugh as well.

"So, I hear you are new to Mystic Falls," Carol states. "How do you like it?" she questions.

"It is a really nice little town," I say honestly.

She just smiles. "I heard you are also the new chorus teacher at the school. Do you like the job?" she asks curiously.

"Yes, the kids are wonderful, and I also get to do what I love everyday, too," I confirm.

"Well, I am glad you are liking it."

"Thanks," I say with a smile.

"I am going to go find Caroline," I will talk to you all later," Liz says and then walks away.

"Bye," we all say.

"I am going to go mingle some more. Bye," Carol says and walks away as well.

"Bye," we all say again.

"So, where did you move from?" Meredith asks me once they are gone.

"Florida," I answer.

"Why did you move up here?" she asks curiously.

"My parents died in a fire and my sister and I decided that we couldn't live there anymore," I say bringing back the sad memories.

"I am so sorry to hear that," she says and I can see the regret in her eyes for asking.

"You didn't know," I say with a small smile. "Although, with how fast word seems to get around in this town I thought you would have heard."

"Well, I just recently arrived here," she says.

"Oh," I say not really knowing what else to say.

I hear someone clink a utensil against a glass and everyone goes quiet.

I turn my attention to the staircase and see Elijah standing on it along with five other people.

There are three guys and two girls. One of the women I am assuming is his mother.

Elijah motions to his mother who I see has shoulder length blond hair, so the other blond girl must be his sister. "Now, if everyone will find a partner and please join us in the ball room for a traditional dance," Elijah says and everyone starts pairing up.

I see him and his family disperse from the steps.

"Care to join me for a dance?" Elijah asks once he walks over to me.

"I would love to," I smile.

He holds his hand out to me and I take it and he leads me to the ballroom.

"Just to let you know I am not a very good dancer, and I definitely have never done a dance like this before," I warn as the music starts up.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine, just follow my lead," he says.

"Okay, but I'm sorry if I step on your toes," I say with a small laugh.

"You won't," he encourages.

I actually follow his lead pretty well when al of a sudden I am spun out of his arms and into the arms of someone else.

"So, how is the sister of my girlfriend doing?" they ask.

I look up and see that I am now dancing with Damon.

"Fine," I answer as we dance. I look and see that Kalinda is dancing with Elijah now, and they seem to be discussing something.

"You know, you should listen to her about Elijah," Damon says seriously to me.

"Oh no, not you, too," I say letting out a frustrated sigh. "What do you all know that I don't?" I ask hoping maybe I would get an answer out of him. Then a thought pops into my head, "Wait you don't think he is a vampire as well, do you" I ask remembering what Kalinda told me the other night.

Damon looks at me but doesn't say anything for a few minutes.

"Just listen to her, she knows what she is talking about. She is right when she says he his bad news," he says but completely avoids my question.

Before I know if I am being spun out of his arms and back into Elijah's.

"So, what did you and Damon talk about?" he asks curiously as we continue to dance.

"Just about him and my sister," I lie. "What did you and Kalinda talk about?" I ask.

He stares at me for a few seconds before replying. "Just about how she is liking the town and school," he answers just as the music stops.

"Uh, and what did she say?"

"That she liked it."

"Well, that is good," I smile as we walk out of the ballroom.

We walk into the room with the staircase again and see that his mother is standing on it.

"I'd like to make a toast," she starts to say.

People bring drinks around and I take one. Once she is done talking we toast and continue on with the ball.

"If you will excuse me again," he says and then disappears.

_Oh why does he keep disappearing?_ I think to myself. I look around and try to find Alaric. Finally I spot him standing by Meredith.

"So, I'm assuming you got invited to the ball by Elijah," Meredith says once I reach them.

"Yeah," I confirm.

"So you know he…"

"Meredith," Alaric says cutting her off. "How about we go for a walk?" he suggests.

"Okay," she says hesitantly.

"Wait, what were you going to say?" I ask as they start to walk away.

I see Alaric whisper something in her ear and she nods.

"Nothing. I lost my train of thought," Meredith answers.

"Okay," I say and they walk away.

_Uh huh sure you lost your train of thought_. I think frustrated.

I look around for Elijah but don't see him anywhere.

"I'm Kol Mikaelson, who might you be?" I hear someone ask from behind me.

I turn around and see a guy with short brown hair and brown eyes and a smirk on his face.

"Paige Emerose," I answer. "Is there something you want?" I ask although not wanting to be rude.

"Actually, yes. My brother sent me to find you."

"Elijah," I question.

"Mmhmm," he answers. "If you'll follow me," he says and starts walking.

I hesitantly follow him.

_I wonder why Elijah couldn't just find me on his own._ I think as Kol starts leading me away from the crowded room and into a hallway.

"Umm, where are we…"

I am suddenly cut off as he pins me to the wall.

"What are you doing?" I say as he yanks my necklace off.

He looks me right in the eyes, "You will not scream. You will not even make a sound."

I feel myself get dizzy.

"Do you understand?" he asks.

I nod my head yes.

"Good girl," he smirks.

All of a sudden his face changes. His eyes go black and there are now black veins under his eyes, and not to mention fangs! _Wait, fangs!_ I think to myself. _What the heck? This can't be happening!_ I start to panic and squirm.

"So, you're the human my brother has taken a liking to," Kol says looking me up and down. "That's the first sign of weakness," he states and I try to look away from his demented face. "But no matter. I can correct his stupid mistake," he smirks and leans his head toward my neck, which causes me to squirm even more.

I try to scream but I can't.

"Don't worry, love, it only hurts for a second," he says and then I feel him bite down.

I try to squirm, but it is no use. He is too strong. _Oh my gosh. Kalinda was right! They are freaking vampires!_ I think as I start to get light headed.

"Kol!" I hear someone yell.

He lifts his head and looks to the right. I do as well and see his mom standing there.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asks angrily. "Let the poor girl go! She commands.

He does, and I try to run but I am stopped when I run into someone. I look up and see it is Elijah.

"Don't move," he orders looking into my eyes.

"What is the meaning of this brother?" he asks Kol, and I can see he is angry.

I look at Kol and see his face is now back to normal.

"Kol, I demand you answer now!" his mother yells.

"I was hungry and wanted a snack," he shrugs.

Elijah snarls and has Kol quickly pinned to a wall. "Don't lie to me, brother!" Elijah says angrily.

"You're showing weakness, brother, falling for a human," he snarls and pushes Elijah against the opposite wall.

"Children!" their mother yells. "Let him go Kol and get back to the party. I will deal with you later," she orders.

He lets Elijah go and quickly disappears.

I look at the two of them frightened.

"Paige, I'm so sorry," Elijah says walking over to me.

"Elijah, you go back to the party as well. I will help Paige get cleaned up and then find you afterwards," she orders but not as firmly.

He nods and glances at me, and I can see the sadness in his eyes.

"And I know what you are thinking. No compelling your way out of this. If you truly have taken a fancy to this girl I expect you to explain everything to her," she says firmly.

He doesn't say anything and just walks away.

She walks over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder, and leads me to a room up the stairs.

"I'm sorry for the behavior of my son," she apologizes. "I know you must have many questions and Elijah will answer them, but for right now let's get you cleaned up dear."

I nod in agreement and realize that I am crying. She opens a door and reveals a bathroom.

"Sit," she says motioning to a chair that was under a vanity mirror.

If I wasn't in such shock I am sure I would be looking around the huge bathroom.

I wipe the tears from my eyes with a shaky hand.

I hear her turn on the sink and look over to see she is filling a bowl with water.

"In case you are wondering," she says as she starts to gently dab the washcloth against my neck. "My name is Esther Mikaelson."

"And I'm Paige Emerose," I can hear the shaking of my voice.

"As I heard," she says. "I am so sorry we had to meet under these circumstances," she apologizes.

I nod. "Are they really…?" I stop myself.

"Vampires?" she asks.

I nod.

"Yes," she says as she dips the bloody cloth into the water.

"Are you one as well?" I question as she still continues to clean my neck.

"No, my dear, I'm a witch," she says.

My eyes go wide. There are witches too?

"There," she says and takes the bowl and dumps it out in the sink.

I look at my neck and see the nasty bite mark there.

"Stay here and I will go get Elijah," she says as she exits the room.

I start to cry. I just can't take this information.

After what seems like forever I hear someone open the door.

I look and see it is Elijah.

My heart starts racing as he walks towards me.

"Paige, please, don't be frightened," he says calmly.

"You! And you're a …! Kalinda was right!" I exclaim.

Elijah kneels down and looks into my eyes.

"Sleep now," he says firmly. "I will explain everything to you in the morning."

I feel myself start to become sleepy even though I am far from tired. Before I know it, I am drifting into sleep.

Elijah picks her up and looks at her.

_This is my entire fault_. He thinks to himself as he caries her to his room. _I am so stupid. I should have ignored my feeling from the beginning and she would never have gotten hurt_. He scolds himself mentally.

Once they reach his room he opens the door and gently lays her on the bed.

He sees that she is really white and her breathing is a little shallow. Fortunately, though, she would be ok. Kol didn't take enough to kill her.

_Kol._ Elijah thinks. _I am going to have to have a firm talking with him. _

He brushes the hair away from Paige's face and looks thoughtfully at her.

"What are you doing to me?" he asks aloud. Then walks away from her and out the door.


	15. Chapter 14

**PLEASE REVIEW! THANK YOU FOR READING:)  
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**Chapter 14**

I am having so much fun at the ball. Damon is great. I love dancing with him. Elena and Stefan looked like they were having a good time. Poor Caroline didn't look too happy with Klaus.

Speaking of Caroline and Klaus, I haven't seen them for a while. Of course, I haven't seen much of Paige either.

"Kalinda," I hear Damon calling.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," I say.

"Where were you?" he asks.

"In my head. Just thinking," I shrug. "Have you seen Caroline?"

"Not for a while actually," he says.

"I'm worried. She's Klaus's date, and you said he wasn't a nice man," I say.

"Caroline can handle herself," Damon says. "And there isn't much you would be able to do anyway."

"True," I say. "Let's go sit."

I prop my feet up on Damon's lap as we sit. My heels are killing me.

"Feet hurt?" Damon chuckles.

I nod.

"I don't know why women insist on wearing these stupid things when they cause you so much pain," Damon says.

"Because they make us feel pretty," I shrug.

Damon rolls his eyes, "You don't need heels to make you pretty. You're beautiful already."

"Aw, you're so sweet," I say.

Damon frowns, "I am not sweet."

"Sure you are. Don't deny it," I laugh.

"If word ever got out my reputation would be ruined," he says.

"Oh, no," I gasp sarcastically.

"Whatever," is all Damon says.

Another 15 minutes pass and Caroline still hasn't reappeared. I really am starting to get worried. I know Damon didn't want me to go looking for her, though. So, I make up the excuse that I need to use the bathroom.

"Hurry back," Damon says.

I roll my eyes.

I can't find Caroline anywhere. Actually, I can't find Elena. Wait that was Stefan.

"Hey, Stefan," I call out. "Where's Elena?"

"Sitting down," he says. "I am getting us some drinks."

"Is Caroline with her?" I ask.

"No, I haven't seen Caroline like all night," Stefan says.

I groan, "Of course not. Alright, I'll see you later." I continue searching for Caroline.

Finally, I found her. Klaus had pulled her into a hidden alcove.

"Caroline!" I gasp in relief. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Oh, thank gosh," Caroline says. She backs away from Klaus. "Klaus, this is my friend, Kalinda. I really have to go. Damon is probably terrorizing her."

Caroline dragged me by my arm back to Damon.

"I see you found Caroline," Damon says as we arrive.

"She was in the bathroom," I shrug. "She didn't want to go back to Klaus."

"Okay," Damon says.

"Klaus claims he fancies me," Caroline says after a minute of silence.

Damon starts laughing.

"It isn't funny!" she exclaims.

"Well, do you fancy him back?" I ask.

"No!" she practically shouts.

"Okay," I say. "Sorry."

"Are you sure you're not just in denial?" Damon asks.

"No," Caroline mutters. "I do not like him. He's borderline stalker. He gave me a bracelet and forced this dress on me."

"Sounds more like he wants to force it off you," Damon says.

"Damon," I smack his chest.

"Just pointing out a fact," he shrugs.

I roll my eyes.

"Actually, I'd like to get that dress of you," Damon murmurs in my ear.

"Ugh. I'm going to find Elena," Caroline leaves our table.

"Behave," I tell him.

He frowns.

"If you behave now, I'll repay you later," I promise him.

He grins, "I will hold you to that."

"I have no doubt about that," I say.

"I'm going to speak to Elijah," Damon says. "I'll be back in a minute. I just need to ask him a quick question. Stay here."

I sigh.

A minute quickly turns into fifteen.

I get impatient and decide to take a walk. I came across an open balcony. The warm breeze from outside draws me to get out there.

I stand on the edge of the balcony, leading against the railing. I look up at the stars. They are so beautiful tonight.

"Hello," someone says from behind me.

I quickly turn around. "Hi."

"I'm Kol Mikaelson," he grins. "Who are you?"

"Kalinda Emerose," I say.

"I met Paige Emerose earlier. Is she related to you?" Kol asks.

"My sister," I nod.

He is steadily walking closer to me.

I have nowhere to go. I can't back up; I'm already against the railing.

"You look very pretty tonight," Kol smiles at me.

"Uh, thanks," I say. "My boyfriend would agree with you."

"Boyfriend? Who are you here with?" he asks.

"Damon Salvatore," I say.

"Even better," Kol grins maliciously. He closes in on me.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"I'm… thirsty," he shrugs. "And you look very appetizing."

I try darting around him. It doesn't work.

"I don't think so," Kol says. "Now, you're just making me angry." He held me tight in his arms and bit down on my neck.

"Ow," I muttered. He was aggressive. It didn't feel like when Damon did it.

I try tearing away from him, but it just tears the skin on my neck. I swear.

"You're only making my job easier," Kol says as more blood gushes from the wound.

"What the hell is going on here?" Damon bursts onto the balcony.

My vision blurs, and I can't really see Damon. But I can tell he's angry.

"Let go of her," Damon snarls.

Kol does, and I drop to the ground.

"Ow," I moan.

Damon jumps at Kol.

I can't really see what's going on. I can hear them snarling at each other. I can vaguely see them darting back and forth.

Suddenly, Damon hurls him over the edge of the balcony.

Damon runs over to me, "Are you okay?"

"I feel… dizzy," I giggle.

Damon bites his wrist and holds it up to my mouth. "Drink. You are losing too much blood. This will heal you."

I drink hesitantly at first, but then I greedily take it. It's making me feel stronger.

When the wound is healed and I am not longer dizzy, Damon takes his hand back.

"Let's get you out of here," Damon says.

I just nod in agreement. I feel good, but I'm still a little shaken up.

Damon brings me back to his house.

"Do you want to rest?" Damon asks.

I nod. I am not really tired, but I don't want to stand any more.

Once Damon gets me to his bed, he tucks me in and sits beside me gently.

"How are you doing?" he asks me.

"A little shaken," I whisper. "Why did he do that?"

"Some vampires drink to kill. They like to feel aggressive, be dominant," Damon tells me.

"Oh," I murmur. "But, you're not like that, right?"

"Not anymore," he says. "I used to be like that. I killed a lot of people." His head falls down in shame. "I know it was a bad lifestyle. I regret it. I have changed, though."

"I know you've changed. I've seen it. I've seen you," I say. "You're a good person now."

"Thanks," Damon says. He kisses my forehead. "You should get some sleep."

"I'm not really tired," I shrug.

"Try," he says. "I'll lay beside you. You'll need your rest after tonight. You're probably in shock."

I giggle as he lies in the bed beside me.

He wraps his arm around me and draws me closer to him.

I find myself more tired than I originally thought and am soon drifting off to sleep.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

I wake with a start and look around. I definitely am not in my house, let alone in my room! _Wait, if I am not at my house, where am I?_ I start to panic. I look at the curtains and see a faint light coming through, so it must be sometime in the morning.

_How long was I out? How did I get here? The last thing I remember was that I was at the ball and… _I start to hyperventilate. _Kol bit me! _I think in horror. _Vampires are real. Kalinda was telling the truth! _I think, and feel guilty for not listening to her.

I am pulled out of my thoughts when I hear someone open and close the door. I look and see it is Elijah. "Where am I?" I ask nervously.

"I am glad to see you are awake," he says walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Where am I?" I ask again, getting nervous.

"You are in my bedroom," he says hesitantly.

"Y…your room?" I say aloud. "Are you going to explain to me what the heck happened? I mean I know your brother Kol…," I stop and feel my neck and cringe slightly.

He looks at me and I can see the sadness in his eyes.

"You're…you're…he's… a vampire!" I say out of order and confused.

He nods his head to confirm.

"Oh gosh," I start to panic.

"Paige, please calm down, let me explain," he says. "But first, please let me heal you."

"Excuse me?" I asked confused.

His face changes like Kol's and he bites his wrist, soon after he bites it, it turns back to normal. He brings his bleeding wrist toward my mouth.

I stare at it in shock.

_What did he want me to do with it?_

"Drink it, please, it will heal you."

"But…"

"Please," he cuts me off desperately.

I take his wrist and hesitantly bring it to my mouth and then hesitantly start to drink.

After a few minutes he pulls it away and I cough. "I can't believe I just did that!" I exclaim aloud in disgust. _Although, I do feel better_. I reach up and feel my neck and notice there is no longer a bite mark there.

"But…" I stop, realizing I couldn't think of anything to say. I start to breathe fast again.

"Paige, please just calm," he says reaching for my shoulder.

I flinch away from his touch and he brings his hand back to his side.

He looks hurt but quickly regains himself.

"Here, why don't you change out of that dress?" he suggests. "I took this dress from my sisters room. I'm sure she won't mind," he says handing me a pink spaghetti strap sundress.

"Once your changed I will tell you whatever you wish to know," he says leading me o the restroom door in his room.

I nod and enter. He closes the door.

I look at myself fin the mirror and check my neck again just to make sure the bite was really gone, and it was.

After about 15 minutes I untie the corset strings and can finally slip out of the dress. I leave the gown on the floor while I change into the sundress.

It fit pretty well, a little tight, but it would do.

I step out of the restroom and see Elijah sitting on the bed with his head in his hands.

He looks up as soon as I close the door. He pats the bed beside him, motioning for me to sit.

I hesitantly walk over and sit down beside him. "So, care to explain to me how any of this is possible, or how you even exist?" I ask after what seemed like forever. "Because if you tell me you were turned by Dracula or something I think I might have a heart attack."

He chuckles, "Let's start from the beginning, shall we?"

I nod, wanting to know how he was created, or how this stuff even existed.

"When my family and I moved to America, we moved here to what is now called Mystic Falls. The natives however were werewolves," he stops and looks at me.

My eyes go wide. "Werewolves are real, too?" I ask, shocked.

He nods. "Anyway, my family and I were on peaceful terms with them. We hid in caves or indoors on the full moons. One day, my brother, Niklaus, and my other brother, Henrik, wanted to see them change, so they went to watch them transform one night. Niklaus came home with Henrik dead in his arms. He had been killed by one of the werewolves. My mother and father were devastated. Father was angry with Niklaus as usual, but they both wanted to protect us from the werewolves. My mother is a witch, and that night she came up with a spell. She laced our drinks with blood, and then my father, Mikael, stabbed us all in the heart. When we awoke, he fed us blood to complete the transformation. Nature, though, started rebelling against us, because we are unnatural and inhuman. Vervain, a plant that my sister would pick, now would burn our skin. The sunlight weakened us and burnt us," he pauses taking a breath. "There is something you should know. We are the Original vampires, the first in existence. Nothing can really kill us. Stakes don't kiss us, and we can walk around in the sunlight. The only thing that can kill us is a stake made from the white oak tree that my mother used in the spell…," he is cut off when someone walks in.

"Elijah, do you…," the blond start to say, and I see her look at me. "Keeping your toys overnight now?" she questions. "Wait, is that my dress? What is your toy doing in my dress?" she asks angry.

"Rebekah…," he starts to say but is cut off.

"Get out of it!" she demands walking over to me.

"Rebekah!" Elijah says sternly. "Stop!"

"I'm not going to stop, Elijah! What gives you the right to give your toy my clothes?" she questions.

"Rebekah, she is not…," he stops what he was saying and looks at me.

"Oh, please don't tell me you have feelings for that!" she basically yells pointing to me.

_Hey!_ I think insulted.

"Rebekah, leave," Elijah demands firmly while pointing toward the door.

"Fine, brother, but make sure your pet washes the dress before returning it," Rebekah huffs and then leaves the room.

"I must apologize for my sister's behavior," Elijah says after she is gone.

I don't say anything, because, truth is, I do feel insulted.

"I'm sorry if she has insulted you, it's just that," he pauses and shakes his head, "Now, where were we in the story?" he thinks aloud. "Oh yes, a stake from the white oak kills us. A special dagger dipped in the ashes of the white oak, which we burnt down once we know it could arm us, immobilizes us as long as it says in, but it does not kill us," he explains. "My sibling just recently awoke. Niklaus had daggered all of us at some pint. There is something you should know about Niklaus…"

"Who is Niklaus?" I question after hearing his name for the tenth time.

"You know him as Klaus," he says. "He is a hybrid, half werewolf and half vampire. Our mother had an affair with one of the wolves in the village, we found out one full moon. You see, he had recently killed one of the people he was drinking from and killing someone activates the werewolf curse. Father was absolutely furious to find this out, I should also mention our father became a vampire as well, although he is no longer alive," Elijah explains. "My brother, Niklaus, killed our mother…"

"How is she still alive, she is not a vampire. I don't understand," I say.

"We are not quite sure how she is ourselves," Elijah answers. "And that is it," he finished looking at me.

I feel overwhelmed and light headed.

"Paige, are you alright?" he questions looking at me.

"I'm just a little overwhelmed and light headed," is ay.

"Maybe you should lie down," he says putting his hands on my shoulders.

I flinch away from his touch again.

"You are afraid of me now, aren't you?" he questions sadly.

"I, well, it's just that..," I stop, looking for the right words to say. "I'm overwhelmed by the information."

"That is understandable," he assures and then sighs.

I look at him and see the sadness in his eyes.

I mean I am a little scared of him, but then again, I like him too much to stay scared. I turn his head toward me and look in his eyes, and before I know it he is leaning in and kissing me. Instantly, I begin to kiss back.

I feel his tongue run along my bottom kip, wanting entrance. I hesitantly open my mouth and as soon as I do his tongue plunges in and begins exploring my mouth. I wrap my arms around his neck and he wraps his around my waist, pulling me closer to him. He breaks the kiss and gently starts kissing my neck. He gently pushes me back on the bed all the while his lips never leave my neck.

I feel his hand slip under the dress and rest on my thigh. A moan escapes my lips as his tongue traces a path up my neck to my lips. He grins, pleased with himself and begins kissing me again.

I know I should be freaking out right now, I mean, the man kissing me is a vampire for crying out loud. His lips leave my mouth once again and this time he kisses down to my collarbone. I feel his other hand resting on my thigh as well.

We are interrupted though when there is a knock at the door.

He quickly gets off of me and I sit up breathing heavily.

"Come in," Elijah calls straightening up his suit.

I fix my dress and watch as a man walks in.

"Brother, mother would like to speak to you," he says to Elijah while staring at me.

"Tell her I shall be there in a minute," Elijah informs.

He nods, "Brother, might I ask who she is?" he says pointing to me.

"Finn, I would like you to meet Paige Emerose. Paige, I would like you to meet my brother, Finn," he introduces.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Emerose," he says as I walk over to shake his hand, but he kisses the top of mine instead.

"Please, call me Paige. It is nice to meet you, too," I smile.

"I will tell mother you are coming," he says and then leaves.

"You can wait here until I get back, or you can head home," Elijah says as we walk to the door.

"I should probably go home. Kalinda is probably wondering where I am," I say as we walk out of his room.

"I will walk you to the door," Elijah says leading me down the staircase.

"Keeping your food overnight, brother?" someone questions from beside us.

"Niklaus," Elijah acknowledges.

"I knew you slightly fancied her, but I didn't think you…," he is cut off by Elijah holding up his hand.

"Is there something you wanted?" Elijah asks slightly annoyed.

Klaus smirks, "Actually, yes, after you meet with mother, I want to speak with you."

"Okay," Elijah says opening the door for me.

"You know, my sister, Rebekah, is very mad at you for wearing her dress," Klaus says as I step out of the door. "Although you look better in it than she would have," he says with another smirk.

I blush and see Elijah tense slightly.

"I heard that Nik!" Rebekah shouts from the stairs.

"You were meant to!" he says and then laughs.

Rebekah huffs and then goes back up stairs.

"Well, I will leave out two, to say goodbye," Klaus says and then shuts the door, leaving Elijah and I standing on the porch.

"Goodbye, Paige," he says and gives me a quick kiss.

"Goodbye," I say and walk down the steps.

He stands on the porch and watches me until I disappear to my car.

I get into my car and smile. _I definitely like this_… I stop my train of thought. _Was this a relationship or am I truly just another one of his toys?_

As I drive back to my house, that is all I can think about.

I mean he hasn't bit me… yet.

"Kalinda, I'm home," I call once I am in the house. "Kalinda!" I call again when there is no answer.

_I swear that girl is trying to make me have a panic attack._ I think as I walk into the kitchen.

I look at the clock and see it is 3. I decide to make some food since I didn't have any lunch, then I decide to go to the living room and watch TV.

I look and see it is now 4, and Kalinda still isn't home.

I call her cell phone, but she doesn't answer.

_Hmm, that's weird._ I think. _I mean where in the world could she be?_

I start to become panicked_. What if something bad happened to her? I mean, what if there are more vampires in town and what if they got her?_ I try focusing on the TV again and try to calm my nerves. I am probably just over reacting.

I wake up with a start. I hadn't even realized I had fallen asleep.

I look at the time on the TV and see that it is 6:10.

"Kalinda!" I call seeing if I would get an answer this time.

No such luck.

I get up and walk into the kitchen and decide to start making supper. Hopefully Kalinda will be home soon, and sure enough, a few minutes after I start making supper, I hear the front door open.

"Kalinda, is that you?" I call.

"Yeah," she responds.

"Where in the heck were you?" I question angrily and walk over to her. "And what in the heck are you wearing?" She looks down and I see her blush.

"I was at Damon's," she answers.

"Oh, no, Kalinda, you didn't."

"And if I did, what does it matter to you?" she asks annoyed.

"You didn't even go home after the ball, did you?" I question.

She shakes her head no, "I have a good reason as to why, though," She offered.

"Oh, it wasn't just so you could have sex? I have been worried sick about you since I got home," I say.

"Kol attacked me, and then Damon brought me to his house," she says.

Hearing that I go into parent mode.

"Oh my goodness, Kalinda, are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Damon healed me," she answers. "And where were you?" she asks. "You said you had been worrying since you got home."

"I was at Elijah's," I answer, and I see her smile.

"Oh, I see how it is," she says annoyed. "Whose dress is that? Is it yours? If so, I have never seen you wear it before," she says accusingly.

"It's not what you think, Kalinda," I say. "Kol attacked me as well last night, and I remember Esther cleaning the wound. The next thing I know I wake up in his room. We didn't have sex. He gave me his sister's dress, because he thought it would be more comfortable than my ball gown. He also explained everything. I am so sorry for not believing you. I know now that you were telling the truth," I say getting tears in my eyes and hugging her.

"It's okay," she says comforting me. "Wait, when did Elijah explain everything?"

"This morning," I answer. "Why?"

"I just don't see why you would believe him and not me," she shrugs. "Seeing as you've known me since I was born, and I've never lied to you."

"Because I saw it with my own eyes!" I exclaim. How could I not believe it? I've already apologized for not believing you, but it was a very unrealistic story."

"I don't care. You should have trusted me," she sighs. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. At least you'll be away from him now."

"Away from who?" I ask confused.

"Elijah, of course. You know he is no good now. You know why," she explains.

"That doesn't mean I won't see him again. You're with Damon. You had sex with him," I state and realize now that I just comprehended Damon was a vampire. "Why should I stay away from Elijah when Damon is just like him?"

"There is a difference when one is working for the good, and the other is helping evil," she exclaims.

"He isn't evil. He's very sweet," I say. "It's none of your business, anyway."

"Fine," she begins walking away. "Don't blame me when something bad happens."

She walks up to her room and slams her door shut and starts blasting her music.

I go back to the kitchen and take some medicine for the headache I now have.

I finish what I was making for supper and tell Kalinda it's ready, but she doesn't come down so I put it in the fridge.

I walk up to my room and flop down on my bed and cry.

_This town is going to tear us apart_, I think sadly.

**A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! IT'S GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANKS FOR READING **


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

I wake up sometime late the next morning with Damon's arms still wrapped around me.

"Good morning, sunshine," Damon teases me. "It's nearly noon."

"Really? Wow, I must have been tires," I murmur.

"You were," he says.

I grin and snuggle closer to him.

He grins down at me, resting his hands on my hips. "You look sexy like this."

"Like what?" I ask looking down at myself. I gasp. I was only in my underwear.

"I took you out of your dress last night. I thought you would be more comfortable," Damon explains my lack of clothing.

"Ah," I nod. "I suppose it was."

"But with your hair all mussed up and you half naked in my bed, you are simply ravishing," Damon whispers in my ear, moving his arms slowly over my arms, gently rubbing up and down. It makes me shiver. He leans down and kisses my ear. He gently takes my earlobe between his teeth and nibbles on it.

I moan, unable to control myself, because it feels so good.

I can feel Damon grin as he moves to my neck, sucking and nibbling on my tender flesh. I gasp loudly as he begins to move his hands. One of his hands makes its way down my back coming to rest right above my ass. The other is slowly snaking its way up my shirt.

I groan and push myself against Damon. I can feel his excitement pushing back.

Damon is only in his boxers, so I run my hands over his bare chest. Damon shifts so I am now on my back, him pressing against me, closer than we've ever been before.

I rake my nails lightly down Damon's back.

It's his turn to groan.

"If we don't stop now, I am not going to be able to control myself," Damon says looking into my eyes.

I lean up to kiss him, "I don't want to stop."

"Excellent," Damon says, lust clouding his eyes.

About an hour later, we both lay sated, curled up together, on his bed.

"Damn," is all I manage to say.

"Damn is right," Damon chuckles.

I smile and lean up to kiss him gently.

He tries to deepen the kiss, but I push him away.

"What?" Damon asks.

"I'm hungry," I say seriously.

He sighs and gets up, putting on a snug pair of jeans and a black v-neck tee shirt.

"I have no clothes," I frown.

"Hmm," Damon said rummaging through his drawers. HE tosses a couple of articles of clothing at me.

They include my own underwear and bra, a pair of navy basketball shorts, and a dark green tee shirt.

"Thanks," I say changing quickly. "Now, let's get some lunch."

Damon chuckles. He takes my hand as we head to the kitchen. I don't really know where it is, so I was letting Damon lead me there.

As we reach the first floor, Stefan walks in the front door with Elena.

"Hey, little brother," Damon says. "Stay out all night?"

"Yes. I see you stayed in," Stefan grins, glancing at my attire.

"All morning," Damon grins back. "Forced to come out for food."

I roll my eyes and tug on Damon's hand, "If I don't get food, we'll never stay in again."

Damon immediately jumps into action, practically dragging me to the kitchen.

I laugh loudly, "At least now I know I can simply threaten our sex life, and you'll jump through hoops."

"That's just not nice," Damon frowns. "I would never do that to you."

"Well, that's the difference between you and I," I shrug. "Now, make me some pancakes."

"Yes, ma'am," Damon mock salutes.

After I ate, we went back to Damon's room.

"So, tell me about you, before you came to Mystic Falls," Damon says, sounding intrigued.

"Well, as I said before, my father was a herbist. I would go with him when he went to collect herbs. I traveled the world with him. I even saw Mt. Everest. We had a great time just him and I. He often invited Paige along, but she was always too busy. She was very much the indoor type," I begin. "My mother stayed with her when we went away. My mother was a strict woman. Very uptight, and a control freak. I have no idea how he ended up with my free-spirited father. She was a doctor. Both my parents made good money, so we were very well off."

"I see," Damon muses. "What were you like?"

"Me? Oh, well, I was never outgoing, but I had a lot of friends. I was in softball. I loved sports and being outdoors. Paige and I never really got along. I always saw her as a nosy older sister trying to be my mom. I didn't like it. Now she's really trying to be my mom," I say. "The best part of my year is when my father would say we were going on a trip. I was such a daddy's girl."

Damon nods, "I used to feel like Stefan treated me as his child."

"But, you're older," I say.

"I know," Damon chuckles. "I didn't always act it, though."

"Tell me about your past," I encourage him.

"Well, my family was rich. We were a founding family of Mystic Falls. Stefan and I were both fighting in the Civil War when everything began. It all started with Katherine. She came to live with us. Katherine was very beautiful. She could have any man she wanted. She always was the center of attention when she was around. She worked her charm on both Stefan and I," Damon sighs wistfully. "We both fell in love. Katherine, being Katherine, led the both of us on."

"I'm sorry," I interrupt. I scoot closer to him and take his hand.

"It's in the past. I am over her. Anyway," Damon says. "Back to the story. Katherine was a vampire. We, obviously, did not know at the time. She turned both Stefan and me. Stefan immediately drank blood to complete the transformation. I didn't know if it was because he didn't want to die, or if he truly believed Katherine loved him. I was not going to take blood. I didn't want to be like her. Stefan convinced me, though. He claimed he didn't want to be alone. So, I drank. I became what I am today. Though Stefan and I took different paths. He restricted himself to animal blood. He wavered recently, which was partly my fault, but he is back on track now. I, however, enjoy human blood. It's so much better. I used to kill for it, but I already told you that. That's basically it."

"What do you do these days?" I ask curiously.

"I am working with Stefan, Alaric, Caroline, and Elena, in part, to figure out what the Mikaelson's are up to. We don't trust them at all."

"I don't like my sister being involved with Elijah. She just won't listen to me," I sigh.

"Just stay away from them. Don't invite them in," Damon says.

"Well, my sister already invited Elijah in," I say.

"He's probably the mildest of them all. We're pretty sure he's not involved in the other's plans. Be careful, though, just in case," Damon warns.

"I will," I nod.

"Holy shit! It's already 6 o'clock," Damon swears, looking at the clock.

"I should be getting home," I say. "Paige is probably going berserk.

"Alright, let's go," he says.

Damon gives me a lingering kiss good night, in his car, outside my house.

"Night," I murmur.

"I'll call you tomorrow," he says.

I nod and wave goodbye as I walk up to my house.

I open the front door and immediately I hear Paige call, "Kalinda, is that you?"

"Yeah," I reply.

"Where in the heck were you?" she asks. She sounds really angry, and she's marching towards me. "And what the heck are you wearing?"

I look at my attire and blush, "I was at Damon's."

"Oh, no, Kalinda, you didn't," she sighs.

"And if I did, why does it matter to you?" I ask.

"You didn't even go home after the ball, did you?" she practically interrogates me.

I shake my head no. "I have a good reason as to why, though."

"Oh, it wasn't just so you could have sex? I have been worried sick about you since I got home," she replies.

"Kol attacked me, and then Damon brought me to his house," I explain. Not that I have to explain myself to her. She isn't my mother.

"Oh my goodness, Kalinda, are you okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say. "Damon healed me. And where were you? You said you had been worrying since you got home."

"I was at Elijah's," she says.

I smile, "Oh, I see how it is. Whose dress is that? Is it yours? If so, I have never seen you wear it before."

"It's not what you think, Kalinda," Paige says. "Kol attacked me as well last night. I remember Esther cleaning the wound. The next thing I know I woke up in his room. We didn't have sex. He gave me his sister's dress because he thought it would be more comfortable than my ball gown. He also explained everything. I'm sorry for not believing you. I know now that you were telling the truth," she hugs me and starts crying.

"It's okay," I say gently. "Wait, when did Elijah explain everything to you?"

"This morning," she says. "Why?"

"I just don't see why you would believe him and not me," I shrug. "Seeing as you've known me since I was born, and I've never lied to you."

"Because, I saw it with my own eyes! How could I not believe it?" she exclaims. "I've already apologized for not believing you, but it was a very unrealistic story."

"I don't care, you should have trusted me," I sigh. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. At least you'll be away from him now."

"Away from who?" she questions.

"Elijah, of course. You know he is no good now. You know why," I say slowly.

"That doesn't mean I won't see him again. You're with Damon. You had sex with him," Paige says.

_How did she figure out Damon was a vampire? _"There is a difference when one is working for the good, and the other is helping evil," I say.

"He isn't evil. He's very sweet," she smiles. "It's none of your business anyway."

"Fine," I say walking away. "Don't blame me when something bad happens." I go to my room and slam the door behind me. I blast my music.

I hear Paige calling me for supper, but I ignore her.

Eventually, I hear her come up to her room. I shut off my music and try to sleep. I hear Paige crying.

I sigh. I don' want her to be upset. I quietly walk into her room and lie down beside her. I start to cry myself.

We take comfort in each other's presence. For now, things are okay between us.

_This town is going to tear us apart. _


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait for this update, but we have been swamped with schoolwork. This is mainly just a filler chapter. ENJOY!**

**Chapter 17**

"_What's the matter, love, are you scared?" Kol asks as he walks toward me with a smirk showing his fangs._

"_Please don't hurt me!" I beg as I begin to back away from him._

"_Where's my brother to save you now?" he asks still walking toward me. _

"_Kol, please!" I beg as I am now pinned to the wall._

"_Shh, shh. It only hurts for a minute," he says with a smile yet again showing his fangs and his demented face. _

_He takes his hand and caresses my cheek, all the while with a smile._

_I begin to tremble with fear._

"_You know, you smell delicious," he says sniffing my neck._

"_Please!" I beg one more time._

_I feel his hot breath on my neck and then feel piercing pain as he bites down._

_I let out a scream and just as I do Kol is thrown off of me._

_I look and see it is Elijah who saved me._

"_Come on, brother, why not just have a taste?" Kol asks walking back over to us. "She is very delicious."_

_I see Elijah look at me, and then his face changes just like Kol's._

"_Elijah," I say starting to panic._

"_Come on, brother, that's it. Don't you smell her?" Kol asks._

_Before I can even react Elijah bites down and I scream. Then Kol bites the other side of my neck._

I woke with a start and realize I had been crying.

"Paige! Are you okay? Open up!" I hear Kalinda banging on my door as I regain myself.

I get up from bed and open up the door.

"Paige are you okay? Are you hurt?" Kalinda asks frantically.

"No, I'm fine," I lie trying to regain myself.

"Paige, something is wrong, don't lie to me. I can see you were crying," she says leading me to my bed and making me sit, and she sits beside me. "Please tell me."

I sigh and put my face in my hands.

_If I tell her she would probably just tell me once again that I should stay away from him._

"Paige," she says gently.

"I had a dream, well, more like a nightmare," I confess.

"What was it about?" she asks curiously.

"Kol," I say, but don't tell her about Elijah.

"Oh?" she questions.

"About the night he attacked me," I explain. I mean it is not a complete lie. The dream just happened to go a little differently than that night.

"I see," she says and then gives me a hug. "It's okay; he is not going to hurt you," she says trying to comfort me.

I smile and hug her tighter.

"I need to get ready for school," she says pulling away. "Are you taking me?"

"Yeah," I reply.

"Okay," she says and then leaves the room.

I get up from my bed and go into my bathroom.

I take a quick shower and once I'm out I hurry up and do my hair and make up.

"At least I look a little less like a zombie," I say admiring my quick make up job.

I hurry and get dressed and then head downstairs.

Once I am downstairs I head to the kitchen and look at the clock on the stove and see it is 6:35.

"Did you eat breakfast?" I ask upon seeing Kalinda sitting at the table.

"I just put a bagel in the toaster," she replies.

"Okay," I say going over and making a quick pot of coffee. "You know, a bagel sounds pretty good," I say just as hers pops up.

Once she finished getting hers ready I put mine into the toaster.

While it is cooking I hurry and get my coffee ready and soon after my bagel pops.

I look at the clock and see it is 6:45.

_I literally have five minutes or so to eat,_ I think as I sit down at the table with Kalinda.

We don't really talk.

Once I finish I look at the clock. 6:55.

"Come on, Kalinda. We got to go," I say putting my dishes in the sink.

"Okay," she says standing up and doing the same with her dishes.

Once we finally make it out onto the road it is 7.

_Well at least I am going to be somewhat on time_. I think.

When we reach the school it is 7:10.

I hurry up and park and as soon as I do Kalinda hops out.

"Do you need a ride home?" I call to her as I get out of the car.

"I don't know. I will tell you before the end of the day," she calls back and then walks into the school.

I grab my things and then head in as well.

Once I reach my room I sit at the piano and wait for the school day to start.

"Thank goodness," I say to myself. "It's lunchtime."

I grab my lunchbox and head to the teachers' lounge. When I get in there I notice Lindsay and Alaric along with a few other people in there.

"Hi, Lindsay. Hi, Alaric," I say sitting down by them.

"Hey," Lindsay smiles.

"Hi," Alaric says.

"How have you been doing?" Lindsay asks me after a few minutes of silence.

"Good," I say. "How about you?"

"Fine, but I've been really busy trying to organize an art show for the students."

"Oh well, I hope everything works out. I would love to come to it," I say with a smile.

"Me too, and great!" she says happily. "Well, I am going to go back to my room. I left my cell phone there and I am expecting a call," she says standing up. "Bye, guys."

"Bye," Alaric and I say in unison.

Soon after the other people leave as well.

I look at the clock there was still 20 minutes of lunch left.

_They must have gotten here early_. I think as I take a bite of my food.

"So, did you leave the ball early?" Alaric asks after awhile.

"Because I never saw you again after those few times we talked."

"OH, well, something came up that I had to take care of," I lie.

_I mean should I tell him about Kol? Does he even know vampires exist?_

"I see," he says looking at me skeptically. "I hope whatever it was all went okay."

"Yeah, it did," I say. "Well, I am going to head back to my classroom. Bye Alaric."

"Bye," he says.

The final bell rings

_Thanks goodness_. I think and get up and stretch.

"Hey, I don't need a ride. I'm going to Damon's," Kalinda says coming into the room.

"Okay, what time are you going to be home?" I ask grabbing my purse and coat.

"I don't know. See you later," she says and then leaves the room.

I sigh and shut out the lights, and then I lock the door.

I make my way out of the school and into the parking lot.

I am almost to my car when I bump into someone. They drop their purse.

"I am so sorry," I say picking up the purse. _Man I have got to start paying attention to where I am going_, I think. I hand the purse back to its owner, which happens to be a girl with long curly blond hair.

"It's okay," she says with a smile. "You're the new chorus teacher right? Kalinda's sister?" she asks.

"Yeah, I'm Paige," I say with a smile, introducing myself.

"Caroline," she says.

"You're the sheriff's daughter, right?" I ask, remembering her name was Caroline, although there could be more than one Caroline.

"Yes, I am," she says still with a smile.

_She seems like a really happy person_. I think.

"Well, I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Paige," she says and begins walking away.

"You, too," I call. "And again I'm sorry about running into you."

"No problem," she calls over her shoulder with a smile.

I walk over to my car, unlock the doors, and get in. I turn the radio on and start driving down the road.

Once I get home I get out of the car and walk into the house.

"I'm so exhausted," I say aloud as I walk over to the couch. "A little nap won't hurt. Kalinda probably won't even be home for supper," I say as I lay down on the couch. I close my eyes and I feel sleep coming to me soon after.

"Aaaaah!" I scream and sit straight up. I look around and see I am okay, and I am in my house. I try to calm my breathing as I walk into the kitchen to get a drink.

I get a glass from the cupboard and fill it with water and take a long drink.

I look on the stove and see it is 4:00.

I take as eat at the table and put my head in my hands.

_These nightmares are going to kill me_. I think replaying the one I just had in my head.

Just then there is a knock at the door.

_I wonder who that could be._ I think as I walk over to the door and open it.

"E…Elijah," I say with a slight stutter as I feel my heart start beating fast. _Get a hold of yourself, Paige, they are just dreams. He is not going to hurt you. _

"Is something wrong?" he asks me showing concern.

"No, no everything is fine," I say forcing a smile. "What brings you here?" I ask curiously, hoping I don't sound rude.

He looks at me for a minute before he answers. "You left your dress at my house."

"Oh my goodness, I completely forgot about it!" I exclaim. He hands it to me.

"Would you like to come in?" I ask. "I mean you came all this way."

"That would be great, thank you," he says and then steps into the house.

"Thank you as well for returning my dress," I say, and then a thought crosses my mind. "You can feel free to take a seat where ever. I will be right back," I say and then hurry up the stairs to my room.

_Okay, now where did I put it_! I think as I look around my room for his sisters' dress.

Finally I find it in my dresser.

I run down the stairs with the dress in hand and see that Elijah hadn't moved from his spot by the door.

"Here is your sister's dress," I say handing it to him.

"Now maybe Rebekah will stop complaining," he says with a slight smile.

"How about we go sit in the kitchen?" I suggest.

"That would be nice," he says and follows me to the kitchen.

"Would you like anything to drink?" I ask hesitantly afraid to hear his answer.

"No, I'm fine," he answers. "But thank you for the offer."

"You're welcome," I say sitting down in front of him.

There are a few minutes of awkward silence.

"So how have you been doing?" he asks breaking the silence.

"Good," I lie not wanting to tell him about my nightmares.

"Well, I am glad," he says with a smile, but I can see that he is skeptical.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he says searching in his packet for something. Once he finds what he is looking for he holds it up.

_I forgot about that!_

"I found this in the hallway my brother attacked you in," he says.

"Did you know that there is vervain in it?" he asks.

"Vervain?" I question and then remember what he told me about it. "No," I say honestly.

"Now just out of curiosity why would you father have had any reason to put it in your necklace," he says staring at me. "Did you know that it protects you from compulsion?"

"I didn't know," I say suddenly uncomfortable. "What is compulsion?

"Your sister knows about vampires, doesn't she?" he asks catching me off guard.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"You don't have to lie to me, Paige. I promise I will not hurt either of you, nor will I let anyone else," he says.

"Yes, she does. She gave me the necklace, and I'm assuming she is the one who put vervain in it," I say. "She told me to always keep it on."

"And she is very smart in telling you that. With any vampire, besides my family and I, they can not touch the necklace and it prevents them from compelling you," he informs. "Compulsion, in a way, is like mind control, if I were to look you in the eyes right now and tell you to do something, you wouldn't give it a second thought."

"Oh," I say feeling lightheaded at this new information.

"May I?" he asks standing up with the necklace and walking behind me.

I nod my head yes, and feel him move my hair away from my neck, and then he puts the necklace on.

"Thank you," I say with a smile.

"You're very welcome," he says still standing. "I should probably be heading home."

"Okay," I say standing up and walking with him to the door.

"Thanks again for returning my dress and necklace," I say as he opens the door.

"You're welcome, and it was no trouble," he says and closes the door.

_Well that was interesting._ I think as I walk back into the kitchen to start making supper. _What was up with the interrogation?_ I wonder.

Soon after I finish supper I hear the front door open.

"Paige, I'm home," Kalinda calls.

"In the kitchen. Supper is ready," I call back.

"It smells good," she says sitting at the table.

"Thank you," I say and get everything ready and sit down as well. "So, did you have fun a Damon's?" I question.

"Mhmm," she replies.

"That's good," I say and after that there isn't much talking.

Once dinner is finished I clean up and then head to my room.

"I'm going to bed, Kalinda, night," I call.

"Night," she says.

I walked into my room, change into my pajamas, and lay down.

Soon enough sleep finds me.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

It is Wednesday, but I decide to stay home. I woke up with a migraine. I couldn't even stand to open my eyes. Paige called me off sick, so I didn't have to worry about school.

I stay in bed until there is an incessant pounding on the door. I groan. My head is better, but still off. I really wish they would go away.

When they didn't, I drag myself out of my bed, and stagger down the stairs.

"What?" I say aggressively, yanking open the door.

"Good afternoon," they say. I recognize him from the ball. It is Elijah's brother, Kol.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, taking a step back.

"Well, I had an idea, about kidnapping your sister, see? It would be brilliant. I would take her in the parking lot when she finished at the school. But, I can't go against my brother. And for some ungodly reason, he's chosen her as his new toy. So, I decided to do the next best thing. I would go after Damon's girl. We hate each other, I don't have to recognize his wishes," he grins evilly.

"No," I murmur. I back farther into the house.

"You can run, dearest, but it won't be for the best. You see, you can either come willingly now, or we can wait until your sister comes home," Kol smiles. I really hate that smile. "Then I can hold her hostage until you agree to come with me. Only harming her if you choose to disagree, of course."

I slowly allow that scenario to play out in my head. I can't put Paige into that position. I got her into this in the first place. Though I did warn her Elijah was bad news. Anyway, I couldn't allow him to get his hands on her.

So, after another second, I stepped cautiously outside.

"That's a good girl," Kol grinned. "Now, come with me." He swept me up in his arms and blindfolded me.

I felt him put me in a car and start to drive away.

"Why are you taking me?" I ask him.

"I told you, Damon and I don't get along. We hate each other. This is just the best way I can get to him. I've never seen him so close to a girl before. Not even with Rose," Kol says.

"Who is Rose?" I ask curiously.

"Jealous?" he laughs.

"No, it's in the past. There is no reason for me to be jealous," I shake my head. "Where are you taking me?"

"Oh, no, I can't tell you that. You'll manage to escape. Hence why you are blind folded," Kol says.

"Even if I were to know where we are going, I wouldn't be able to escape you. You're stronger and faster than me," I tell him honestly.

"Probably, but I won't be taking any chances," he says.

"Fine," I grumble. I still feel a pounding in my head, so I close my eyes and go to sleep.

"Wake up, we're here," Kol shakes me about an hour or so later.

I am about to ask what was going on, but I was interrupted by the memories flashing behind my eyes.

"Are you getting out of the car anytime soon?" Kol asks.

"I can't see," I snarl.

"Right, my bad," he laughs maniacally.

I roll my eyes. _Is this guy nuts or what?_

He picked me up and carried me up some stairs; I am assuming they led to a house. Then I felt us going down. _Was he taking me to a dungeon? This can't get anymore stereotypical._

"I'll be keeping you here until I can figure out what I want as ransom," Kol says. "I'll be back later."

He took off the blindfold and left.

I took in my surroundings. I am in a basement of sorts. The walls were stone and the floor was partially dirt. It was disgusting. _What if I had to go to the bathroom? Am I even going to be fed? _

I sighed and sat down on the floor. It's not like there was much else I could do. _I will probably die of boredom before starvation, _I think to myself.

**DAMON'S POV**

I am sitting around the house doing nothing.

I can't see Kalinda, because she is in school. Stefan is in school, pining after Elena, Alaric is teaching, and that is about the extent of my friends.

I got up to pour myself some Bourbon. Then I went back to sitting on the couch. I am passed out on the couch before long.

I wake up, and it's already nearing 6 o'clock. I groan. _Hey, I can go see Kalinda now._

I drive to her house and practically run up to the door. I knock impatiently.

Paige opens the door, "Hey, isn't Kalinda with you? She could have let you in."

"I was coming here to see Kalinda. I fell asleep while I was waiting for her to finish with school," I say confused.

"She didn't go to school. She stayed home with a migraine," Paige says.

"Oh, well where is she then?" I ask.

"I don't know. She didn't leave a note or call me or anything. I assumed she was with you," Paige shrugs.

"Did you call her cell?" I question.

"I will now," she says. "As I said, before I thought she was safe with you."

"Glad to know you trust me," I smirk.

She shot me a look, "Don't push your luck."

I hold my hands up in surrender.

"There is no answer," Paige says as Kalinda's phone goes to voicemail.

"Where could she be?" I ask quietly. "Your boyfriend!"

"No! He promised he wouldn't hurt Kalinda or me. He wouldn't," Paige says frantically.

"He's a vampire, Paige. We aren't known for keeping our promises," I roll my eyes at her. _How naïve. _

"Oh, and you are this way? So why should I trust you?" Paige asks.

"I care about Kalinda. A lot," I say quietly. "I want her to be safe."

There is a knock on the door.

Paige hurries over to the door. Although, if it were Kalinda, she wouldn't have to knock.

It is Kol.

"Looking for someone?" he smirks.

"You ass! What have you done with her?" I demand, flitting over to where he was standing in the doorway.

"Don't worry, she's unharmed and safe. Probably just uncomfortable," Kol shrugs.

"What do you want?" I narrow my eyes.

"You see, I haven't decided that yet. But, don't worry, when I do, you'll be the first to know," he laughs.

"Kol!" I shout after his retreating back.

He simply laughs into the night.

I turn to Paige, just as she collapses.

I pick her up and carry her deeper into the house, closing the front door.

After I lay her on the couch and cover her with a blanket, I pick up my cell phone.

"Elijah, we need to talk."


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N: This is a continuation of the last chapter. Thanks for reading. Please Review.**

**Chapter 20**

Damon's POV

"What is this about?" Elijah asks.

"Your brother has taken my girlfriend. I am not happy," I say quietly into the phone.

"Which brother?" Elijah questions.

"Kol," I answer. "I want her back. He wants ransom."

"And what is it he wants as ransom?"

"He doesn't know yet," I roll my eyes. "I want my girlfriend back."

"I will help you. I do not agree with the actions of my brother. I am sorry for this. I will come over right away," Elijah tells me.

"Alright. Well I am at Paige and Kalinda's. Not my house," I say.

"Okay. I've been there before. I'll be right over," Elijah hangs up the phone.

I pace as I wait for the arrival of Elijah.

After several agonizing minutes passed there was a knock at the door.

I quickly rush to the door to answer it. I want to find Kalinda as soon as possible. But, it is not Elijah at the door. It is Kol. I growl at him.

"Now, now. Be nice, Damon, if you ever want to see your precious little girlfriend again," Kol taunts me.

"I take it you have decided what you want from me," I say.

"Yes," Kol grins. "I want you to stop trying to figure out my plans. I want you and your brother to stay away from my family. As soon as you give me your word, I will return your girlfriend to you. You have 48 hours. Don't waste it." Kol is gone as fast as he had appeared.

Elijah arrives not soon after.

"You just missed your brother," I tell Elijah. "He wants me to leave him and your family alone. If I give my word to this within 48 hours he will return Kalinda. The only problem is, I don't want to promise that. I don't want to leave you and your family alone. That is too much of a risk."

"If I promise we will not hurt you or Kalinda again, will you comply with these turns?" Elijah asks. "I don't want to see Kol kill Kalinda, but he will if you don't comply."

"And what of Elena and Stefan and Paige? What of them?" I ask.

"I will also leave them alone," Elijah agrees.

"And the rest of your family?" I question.

"Well...," Elijah begins.

"You're going to help me find her then," I say. "Then neither of us have to make any promises."

"Fine," Elijah states. "Where do we start?"

"I was hoping you would know that."

Kalinda's POV

I awake, still in the basement of, wherever it is Kol brought me.

It is cold and damp. If I ever get out of here I promise to kill Kol.

I sigh. There isn't much I can do, except wait for someone to find me.

Damon should look for me, I hope.

Damon's POV

"We do have an old cabin. He may have taken her there. He is known for taking women there. Obviously not for the same reason he has taken Kalinda, but it could be worth a shot," Elijah suggests.

"Take me there,"' I demand.

Elijah looks apprehensive for a minute.

"Oh, I won't tell anyone about it. As long as you help me return her safely if she is indeed there," I narrow my eyes.

"Fine. Your word?"

"I give you my word on the aforementioned terms," I say.

"Very well. Let us go," Elijah says.

We arrived at the cabin almost five hours after we had already left. I guess, in retrospect to the 48 hours I'd been given, that wasn't a very long amount of time.

"She is here," I say as soon as we walk into the cabin. "I can smell her, I can hear her."

"Yes, well at least it is a girl, how can you be so sure that it is _her_?" Elijah asks.

"Because I know the scent of the woman I love," I tell him. Shouldn't he know that.

"You are in love with this girl?" Elijah asks as we began searching the house.

"Yes. I think she is down. Is there a basement?" I ask him.

"Of course," Elijah says leading us to the stairs. "How do you know you are in love?"

"I don't know. You just do. Do I look like a woman to you?" I ask, exasperated.

"Sorry," Elijah says. "It's just never happend to me before. How am I supposed to know if it does?"

"You just will. Trust me," I roll my eyes. "Now, can we please get back to the matter at hand."

"Oh, right, of course. Forgive me," Elijah says.

"I don't know how you could have forgotten, seeing how we've been driving for five hours to get here, and it's all I have been talking about," I say.

"Whatever. Here are the stairs. Your lady awaits you," Elijah points to an open doorway.

Kalinda's POV

I still sat in the basement, bored and unable to do anything but stare at the wall.

Then, I hear footsteps on the stairs. _Please let it be anyone but Kol_, I think.

As the footsteps grow louder, I begin to recognize them. Damon appeared at last, and a large smile lit up my face.

I am so happy to see him. I jumped up and flung myself into his arms. "Damon!"

"Kalinda," he sighs. "I am so happy I found you. You have no idea how worried I've been."

"Take me home," I murmur.

"Always, love, always," he kisses me.

He leads me back up to the first floor of the house where Elijah is still waiting.

"Ready?" he asks us.

I look questioningly between Damon and Elijah.

"He helped me find you," Damon explains.

"Thank you then," I tell Elijah.

"You are welcome. I hope now you will maybe stop trying to get your sister to stay away from me," Elijah says.

"I am sorry about that. But, I've already lost my parents. I had to make sure she was safe. As long as you protect her from Kol, I will stop being difficult," I tell him.

"Well, according to Kol, Paige being with Elijah kept her safe. That is why he took you and not her," Damon explains.

"Good. As long as he doesn't take me again," I shudder.

"He won't, because I will no longer let you out of my sight. Or Stefan's," Damon says. "He can keep an eye on you at school."

Elijah is now driving us back to Mystic Falls. Damon and I are sitting in the backseat.

"I don't need a babysitter, Damon," I shout.

"Shh. It's not a babysitter, it's a protector," he says.

"Whatever," I roll my eyes at him. I lean my head against his shoulder and drift off to sleep.

Damon awoke me with a kiss as we reached home.

"We're home," Damon grins.

"I am home. You don't live here," I tell him sleepily.

"I do now," Damon says. "Unless you want to explain to your sister that you are moving in with me."

"And you are going to tell her you're moving in with us?" I question.

"Yes," he grins. "I can't wait to see her face."

I walk into the house, "Paige."

Paige comes running into the room, "Kalinda. Oh, thank God."

"Actually, I think you should be saying: Oh, thank Damon and Elijah. Though, if you prefer to call us God, we probably wouldn't mind," Damon laughs.

"Thank you both, so much," Paige says to them.

She hugs Damon tightly, and then turns to Elijah. She kisses him hard on the mouth.

He is surprised, but doesn't pull away.

Damon and I sneak quietly out of the front room, and up the stairs to my room, wanting to give them some alone time.


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N****: So sorry for the long wait on the update.**** We would like to thank everyone who has stuck with this story and who has it on alerts and favorites and who has reviewed :) It means a lot that you continue to stick with it, even with the long wait. We also know that people are reading this as well and we would really appreciate it if you would review :) It doesn't take much and we would really like to know what you think of this story. We really need the feedback :) Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Vampire Diaries, but we do own anything you do not recognize.**

**Chapter 20**

It has been a little over a week since Damon and Elijah saved Kalinda from Kol, and it's been a little over a week since Damon decided he was going to live with us.

At first I had been angry. He had not even asked, he just said. After a lot of arguing and yelling, I finally gave in, although it wasn't like I really had a choice. He had been invited in so he could come over whenever he wanted to anyway, and it's not like I could stop him.

I have only seen Elijah twice since they had saved Kalinda as well. The times that I did see him he seemed a little distant and troubled. When I asked him what was wrong or if he was Ok he just answered, "Yes I am fine just some family issues," and that was all he would say. I let it go, but I know something is wrong and I just wish he would tell me.

I pull myself out of my thoughts and turn my head to look at the clock on my bedside table and see that it is 8:00 AM on Saturday morning.

I groan and sit up. I let out a yawn as I stretch.

_Might as well get up. _I think and then get out of bed. _What to do today? _I think as I walk into my bathroom. _I could see if Kalinda wants to do something, although doubtful with Damon around, but it is worth a shot. Hopefully he will not want to come with us if we do, do something. _I think as I hop into the shower.

Once I finish with my shower, I blow dry my hair and then get dressed.

Once I am dressed, I make my way out of my room and over to Kalinda's.

"Hey Kalinda," I say once I reach her door and then knock.

"What?" she asks, opening the door.

"Do you want to go out and do something today? Like shopping and a movie?" I ask.

"Sure, why not? I've got nothing better to do," she says after a few minutes.

"Really?" I say kind of surprised, "Great! I thought you would have said no with Damon being around," I say truthfully.

"Actually, I haven't seen Damon since yesterday night," she says.

"Really? Where is he and when is he coming back?" I ask curiously.

"I don't know. He left after we got done watching a movie that was on TV and hasn't been back since. He hasn't called or anything either," she replies and I can tell she is worried.

"I am sure he is fine," I reassure her.

"Yeah, you're probably right," she agrees halfheartedly, "So where are we going to go shopping at?" she asks changing the subject.

"I thought we could go to that mall just outside of town,'' I answer.

"Ok sounds fun. What time are we going to go?" she asks.

"Well, I am going to go make breakfast and then we might as well head out after that."

"Ok, I am going to get ready," she says and then closes her bedroom door.

_What to make for breakfast? _I think as I make my way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Let's see what we have," I say as I rummage through the refrigerator.

I finally decide on making cinnamon rolls and biscuits.

As soon as the stove dings, I pull the cinnamon rolls and biscuits out and set them on a cooling rack. A few minutes later Kalinda walks in.

"I smell cinnamon rolls!" she says excitedly with smile.

"Yep, and I also made biscuits," I say as she takes a seat at the table.

"Yummy!" she exclaims.

I laugh and bring the cinnamon rolls and biscuits over to the table and set them down, then take my seat.

By the time we get done eating and cleaning up the kitchen and putting the dishes in the dishwasher, it is 10:00.

"Ready to go to the mall?" I ask her as she begins to make her way out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, just let me go grab my purse and then we can go," she says and then makes her way up the stairs.

I walk out of the kitchen and over to the front door.

I grab my keys off the hook as well as my purse and then put on my shoes. Kalinda comes down a few seconds later.

Once she gets her shoes on, we head out of the house and into my car.

"How long does it take to get to this mall?" she questions as I begin to drive down the road.

"Only about 20 minutes according to the internet when I _Googled _the closest malls to Mystic Falls, Virginia," I answer.

"Ok," she says and then I see her put her earphones into her ears out of the corner of my eyes.

The car ride is silent after that.

Once we reach the mall, Kalinda puts her _MP3_ player away and I park the car.

"So what store so you want to go into first?" I ask her as we enter the mall.

She thinks for a minute. "Let's see if they have a _Rue 21_," she suggests.

"Sounds good to me," I reply and we begin walking around the mall looking for the store.

Finally after a few minutes of searching both stories and finding a map of the mall, we find it and make our way in.

"Ooo look at this top!" Kalinda exclaims as she runs over to a mannequin.

It is a light blue V-neck short sleeve shirt with a black belt.

"It is very nice," I say looking at it.

"I am going to go try it on!" she says while looking through the sizes.

"Ok," I say just as she finds her size and makes her way to the changing rooms.

While she is trying on her shirt and a few other items she picked out on her way to the changing rooms, I look around the store and find a few things as well.

Once we have got everything we want, I pay for the items and then we exit the store.

"Now where to?" I ask.

"Your turn to pick," she replies.

"Ok, well then let's go to_ jcpenny_," I say and begin walking.

"Alright," Kalinda agrees and begins following me, "What level was it on?"

"Both," I reply, "But I think the women's clothing is on the lower level," I say as we get on one of the escalators.

We find the store in no time and make our way inside.

After spending about an hour in the store, we pay for our items, which where things like dresses, shoes, a few shirts, and some pants, and exit the store. We then make our way to other stores like _Hot Topic_, _Strawberry, _and_ Pac Sun_. As we are exiting _Pac Sun, _I look at my phone and see it is 2:00.

"Want to go get something to eat?" I ask Kalinda.

"Yes," she answers, "I thought you would never ask. I'm starving!" she laughs.

"Let's go to the Food Court then, I believe we passed it when we were on the upper level," I say.

"I think you are right," she says and we make our way back up to the second story.

"What do you want to eat?" I ask as we reach the food court.

"I don't know," she answers while looking around.

"I am going to get _McDonalds_," I say, "Here is 15 dollars to get what you want," I say as I hand her the money.

"Ok," she says and then I begin to make my way over to the _McDonalds_ part of the food court.

Once I have my food, I find a seat and then look around for Kalinda. Finally, I spot her standing by the _Subway_ part of the food court looking around, no doubt looking for me.

I wave and finally catch her attention and she makes her way over to me.

"What kind of hoagie did you get?" I ask her as she takes a seat across from me.

"Turkey," she answers while unwrapping it.

"Yummy," I say and then take a bite of my food.

"Mmmhmm," she agrees, "So after we finish eating do you want to go check out the movie theater to see what is playing and the show times?" she asks.

"Sure," I reply and continue to eat my food.

After we finish our lunches we leave the food court and begin our search for the movie theater.

It turns out that the theater wasn't necessarily in the mall, but rather behind it. We found that out after asking a store worker while we were looking around the mall again for the third time.

"Any movies catching you eye?" I ask Kalinda as we look at them.

"Hmm," Kalinda says thinking, "Yes, are there any that are catching yours?" she asks in return.

"Yes," I reply.

"What?" she asks curiously.

"The _Avengers_," I answer.

"I was thinking the _Avengers_ as well," she says.

"Is that what you want to go see?" I question.

She thinks for a few minutes. "Yes," she answers.

"Ok, it is 3 now and the next showings are at 6 and 9," I say reading the times that are above the ticket counter, "We could go shopping for a little while longer, eat supper, and then come to the 9:00 showing," I suggest.

"Sounds good to me," she says.

"Then that is what we will do," I say turning around and making my way to the exit and back to the mall. Kalinda follows behind.

After shopping around the mall for a few more hours we make our way to a bench in the middle of the mall and sit. I look at my cellphone.

"It is 7:15, what do you want to eat? We can eat at the food court again, or we can go to one of the restaurants nearby." I say looking at my cellphone.

"These bags are getting heavy and I really do not want to eat at the food court again, so I am going to have to say eat at restaurant close to them mall," Kalinda answers.

"Alright, let's go to the car and load up these bags and then we can see what restaurants are around here," I say and then stand up from the bench.

Once we get to the car we put all of our bags into the trunk and then make our way to the front of the car and get in.

We decide on eating at _Cracker Barrel_ which is just a little down the road from the mall. Once we reach the restaurant we get out of the car and make our way inside.

"How many?" a women asks us as we walk over to the eating side of the restaurant which was through the store part of it.

"Two," I answer.

"Follow me," she says grabbing menus and leading us to a table.

We take our seats and she sets the menus down and then leaves. Shortly after a waitress walks over.

"What can I get y'all to drink?" she asks.

"Water," I say.

"Rootbeer," Kalinda answers.

"I will be right back with those," she says and then leaves.

"What are you going to get to eat?" I ask Kalinda.

"Probably a Garden Salad and fries," she answers, "What about you?"

"Probably a grilled cheese with fries," I answer.

"Of course, that is what you always get when we come here," she says as our waitress sets our drink on the table.

"What can I get you to eat, or do you need more time to look at the menu?" she asks.

"No I think we are ready," I answer, "I will have a grilled cheese with fries," I order.

"And you?" she asks Kalinda.

"A garden salad with fries," she orders.

"What kind of dressing?" The waitress asks.

"Do you have Thousand Island?"

"Yes."

"Then I will have that," Kalinda says.

"Alright your food will be out shortly," the waitress says as she collects our menus.

"Has Damon contacted you at all yet?" I ask, but knowing what the answer is probably going to be.

"Nope, not a single text or anything," she responds.

"I am still sure that he is fine, I haven't seen Elijah all but twice this week," I say.

"Yeah, what is up with that?" she asks.

"I don't know he said he has been having family issues and I assume that he has been busy dealing with those," I say shrugging my shoulders.

"Yeah," she agrees.

There is an awkward silence after that until our waitress comes back with our food.

"You all enjoy," she says and then leaves.

Supper is ate pretty much in silence and once we are done, we pay and then leave.

When we get into the car and I turn it on I see it is now 8:50.

"Ready to go see the movie?" I ask as I begin driving back to the theater.

"Yep," she laughs, "I just want to see Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man."

"Of course you do," I laugh.

"What? I love his character and he is not that bad looking either," she says seriously.

When we reach the theater we get out of the car and walk in and buy or tickets.

We get popcorn and soda as well and make our way to where the _Avengers_ is showing.

_**Meanwhile in 3**__**rd**__** person POV**_

"They are coming mother," Finn says as he hears his siblings approach.

"No, it is too soon, the moon isn't high enough. You must leave now!" Esther orders Bonnie and her mother.

"My sons, come forward," Esther says as she sees her sons walking toward her and Finn.

"Step aside," Finn orders them as they get closer.

"It is ok, they can't come inside," Esther assures him.

Klaus, Elijah, and Kol try but fail.

"That's wonderful; we are stuck out here while the favorite son plays sacrificial lamb. How pathetic you are Finn," Kol sneers.

"Be Quiet Kol! Your brother knows virtue you could never imagine," Esther defends Finn.

"Whatever you think of us, killing your own children will be an atrocity," Elijah tries to reason.

"My only regret is that I did not let you die a thousand years ago," Esther says.

"Enough! All this talk is boring me. End this now mother or I will send you back to hell," Klaus says in a bored tone at first but that quickly turns to anger.

"For a thousand years I have been forced to watch you kill and shed blood, feel the pain of every victim. Even you Elijah, with your claim to nobility, you are no better! All of you, you are a curse on this Earth, stretched out over generations. If you have come to plead for your lives, I am sorry, you have wasted your time," Esther tells them firmly with a hint of sadness in her voice.

_Meanwhile Damon turns Bonnie's mom into a vampire therefor breaking the bond Esther was using._

"Sisters don't abandon me!" Esther shouts and then the flames grow high and Finn grabs her and they flee.

Klaus, Elijah, and Kol stare at the place where their mother had been but then after a few minutes they leave.

**Elijah's POV**

_I wonder where Mother and Finn went to? _Elijah thinks as he writes a note for Elena.

_Kol has left now as well and I believe it is time for me to do the same. _He thinks as he finishes the note for Elena, which basically said he was sorry for kidnapping her and the reason why he did it.

He was in Elena's house right now; he had gone there after they had finished trying to stop his mother. He reads over the note and then leaves it on Elena's bed and then exits the house.

_Now that this is finished all that is left to do is say goodbye to Rebekah and Paige…._ He becomes sad at that thought. He doesn't want to leave Paige, but he doesn't want to stay in Mystic Falls either, and plus even though it hurts to admit it to himself she is better off without him.

He sighs as he gets into his car and makes his way to Klaus's house where Rebekah is sure to be.

Once he reaches Klaus's house he gets out of his car and makes his way inside. He finds Rebekah in no time.

After he says his goodbye he leaves the house. His sister had tried to convince him to stay but he couldn't be convinced and he knew that Rebekah was hurt. He had been thinking a lot and everything he had said to Rebekah was true.

_Now I just have to say goodbye to Paige. _He thinks sadly as he gets into his car once again and makes his way to her house.

**Paige's POV**

By the time that the Avengers was over it was nearly 11:45.

"That was a great movie!" Kalinda says as we turn down our street to our house.

"Yes it was," I agree as we get to our house. I notice Damon's car is in front of it and I also see Elijah's as well.

"Damon is here!" Kalinda shouts noticing his car for herself.

"So is Elijah," I say as I park the car in the driveway and as soon as I shut it off Kalinda jumps out and runs into the house.

_Guess she is not going to help get the bags out of the back. _I think as I get out of the car and I am just about to get the bags out of the trunk when something on the porch catches my eye.

I turn my head and see that it was Elijah who had caught my eye. _What is he doing here this late? _I wonder as I make my way over to the porch forgetting the bags. As I make my way up the porch stairs I begin to feel uneasy and my uneasiness grows as I see Elijah's face.

"What is wrong?" I ask him once I reach him.

"There is something I need to tell you," he says and takes a deep breath regaining his composure and his face becomes emotionless.

"Oh? Ok," I say, "What is it?" I ask nervously.

"I am leaving," he says.

_What did he say? He couldn't have really just said that could've he? _

"What did you say?" I ask hoping that I had heard wrong.

"I am leaving," he says again.

"Like leaving my house, leaving me, or leaving Mystic Falls?" I ask feeling my heart rate start to increase as my breathing becomes shallow as I try to control my emotions.

"Mystic Falls," he answers still not showing any emotion, but I can see a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Wh…what? Why?" I ask not believing what I was hearing. _Maybe he is just going on vacation and I am over reacting. _I think trying to calm myself. "For how long?" I ask afraid to hear the answer.

"Paige," he says taking a step toward me, "I am possibly leaving for good, there is nothing left for me here…"

"What about me?" I ask cutting him off hurt that he said that, "Do you not care about me anymore?" I say starting to raise my voice and then turn my head away as I feel tears start to form in my eyes.

"Paige," he says again softly and I feel his hand grab my necklace and yank it off.

"What are you doing?" I ask angrily but I still do not look at him, for fear I might cry.

"Paige look at me," he says softly and puts his hand under my chin and turns my face toward him.

I can no longer hold back the tears in my eyes and they silently run down my face as I stare into his eyes.

**Elijah's POV**

He looks at Paige and his heart breaks as he sees the tears run down her cheeks. He didn't mean what he said about there being nothing left for him, but even so he still could not stay here.

He continues to look at her and sees the sadness in her eyes and he decides to do something that he was hoping he wouldn't have to but it will be for the better.

"You will not be sad over me and you will not miss me," he says compelling her, "You will remember the good times we had together and how happy we were. You will remember that we simply had a relationship and that is was wonderful. You will remember me leaving but you will not be sad over it and that it was a happy departure and that we said our goodbyes and agreed to never forget each other and that I do love you but it just simply cannot be," he says, his heart breaking with each word, "Do you understand?" he asks her.

She shakes her head yes and her crying stops.

"So this is goodbye?" she asks looking at him but no longer sad.

"Yes this is goodbye," he confirms and gives her a kiss.

It starts out slows but then becomes more passionate. After a few minutes he pulls away and she is panting.

"There is one more thing I want to talk to you about," he says as a thought pops into his head one that was sure to keep her safe.

"Oh?" she questions.

He looks into her eyes and once again is going to compel her.

"You should…"

**Paige's POV**

I watch as Elijah drives away and once I can no longer see him I go inside.

"What did Elijah want?" Kalinda asks walking over to me with Damon close behind.

"To tell me he is leaving Mystic Falls," I answer.

"Oh Paige I am so sorry," Kalinda says.

"It is ok, it was just simply not meant to be," I shrug and she looks at me funny.

"Aren't you sad?" she qestions.

"No," I answer.

Her and Damon exchange a look.

"There is something I need to tell you and I have thought about it a lot since Elijah had talked to me about it," I say.

"Oh, what?" she questions.

"I believe that we should move away from Mystic Fall."

**A/N: Please don't hate me, I know it is somewhat of a cliffhanger and I know that you are probably mad about Elijah leaving as well. I promise though if you stick with the story you will not be disappointed. Please review and tell us what you think :) It will only take a second.**


	22. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: Do NOT own Vampire Diaries.**

**Enjoy ;) Please Read and Review**

**Chapter 21**

"I'm not moving!" I shout. "We just moved here!"

"I know, Kalinda. It's just too dangerous here," Paige says. "I don't want to risk my life anymore."

"Fine. Whatever," I shrug. "But, I'm staying here."

"I don't think so," Paige says.

"Too bad. I'm 18. I'm staying here with Damon," I tell her.

Damon smirks, "I'll keep her safe, Paige."

"You're one of the reasons she's in danger," Paige accuses.

"Actually, I think that was your boyfriend," I say to Paige.

"Well, he's not my boyfriend anymore. I'm leaving," she says heading upstairs to pack. I follow her, and Damon follows me.

"What brought all of this on?" I ask.

"I talked with Elijah. He seems to think it is for the best," Paige says.

"She's been compelled," Damon whispers. "Nothing can stop her from leaving."

"Can't you break it? Like you did for Elena's brother?" I ask him.

"No. This was done by an original," Damon shakes his head. "Only Elijah can break it."

I groan.

"I'm just going to take my clothes and personal items," Paige tells me. "I'll leave the house and everything else to you."

"Okay, but where are you going to go?" I ask her.

"I contacted Amber. I'm going to stay with her while I look for a job and a more permanent place to stay," Paige explains.

Amber is an old friend of Paige's from back home.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" I ask her.

"Yes, Kalinda. It is for the best. I will miss you, of course. But, it's for the best," Paige nods.

I sigh and hug her.

A week has passed since Paige left.

Elijah left town too. No one knows where he's gone.

"It's probably for the best," Damon says about Elijah's disappearance.

He, Elena, Caroline, Stefan, Alaric, and I were in Alaric's classroom having a… meeting of sorts.

"But who knows what he's out there doing," Alaric says. "He could be planning against us."

"But he's without his family," Caroline says. "Is he working alone?"

"I don't think he wants to be a part of his family's plans," I speak up. "He was, still is, in love with my sister. He wouldn't do anything to hurt her. That's why he compelled her to leave town. To keep her safe."

"Well, how do we get rid of the rest of his family?" Elena asks.

"We can't kill them. We don't know what will happen if we do that," Stefan says. "We need a way to make them leave town."

"We can't scare them off," Damon says. "We can't fight them off. We need something, someone, they are afraid of."

"Are they afraid of anything?" I ask.

"Everyone is. They have to have some sort of weakness," Alaric says.

"Okay, well, how do we find out what it is?" Elena asks.

"We need Elijah. WE need to lure him back. But, in order to do that, we need Paige back," I say. "I can call her, but she won't come back She can't come back. Elijah compelled her away."

"So, how do we get her back?" Stefan asks.

"Hogtie her and drag her back," Damon suggests.

I slap him upside the head.

"Okay, anyone else have any ideas?" Alaric asks, rolling his eyes.

"I've figured out that a person can break their compulsion," Caroline says. "But something has to shock it out of them."

"Like literally shock?" Damon asks.

"No!" Caroline groans. "Just something that will snap her out of it."

We all sit in silence, trying to think of something.

Damon catches my eye, and we share a look. He raises and eyebrow, and I give a slight nod of the head.

"We have to put Kalinda in danger," Damon says. "If Paige knows Kalinda is in danger, she'll come running back."

"Okay. So, do we just pretend Kalinda is in danger?" Elena says.

"We have to put her in a dangerous situation. But, one we can easily rescue her from," Damon says.

'You would willingly put your girlfriend in danger?" Stefan asks.

"He has to," I say. "It's my decision. I want to live peacefully here. We have to get rid of them."

"Okay," Alaric says. "We need a plan."

"How about we take a couple days to think about it and we meet back here on Friday?" Stefan suggests.

We agree and disperse.

Damon and I are sitting at my kitchen table. I am eating dinner. He is drinking a glass of blood.

I am staring at him curiously.

"What?" Damon asks grinning.

"Doesn't that make you thirstier?" I question.

"A bit. It's kind of like alcohol," Damon shrugs.

I nod, "Interesting."

"It makes me other things too," he grins, waggling his eyebrows.

"Damon," I groan.

He laughs, "Want to go upstairs?"

I roll my eyes but get up anyway.

He grins triumphantly.


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N: So sorry for the long wait. College was very busy. Thanks for all of the reviews, alerts, and favorites :) We really appreciate it. Please continue to do so. Thank you for the support. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Vampire Diaries, but we do own anything you do not recognize.**

**Chapter 22**

I wake to the sound of my phone alarm and look around the room. I glance back to the clock and see it is 7:00 AM.

I have been at Amber's for a week and a half now and I still haven't found a job or a place to live. I almost feel like I am becoming a burden, but every time I ask she assures me that I am not.

I miss Kalinda terribly and I haven't talked to her since the day that I arrived, and that was only to inform her that I made it here safely. I don't know why I haven't since then, maybe it is just because I am afraid that if I talk to her I will miss her more than I already do.

_I hope she is doing ok. _I think as I sit up in the bed. _Damon better be looking out for her. _I think as I swing my legs over the side of the bed.

There is a knock at the door which pulls me out of my thoughts.

I stand up, walk over to the door, and then open it.

"Breakfast is ready," Amber informs me.

"Ok, I will be down in a few minutes," I say.

"Alright," she says and then walks away.

I close the door and sigh as I walk over to the closet. Once I reach it, I look through it and quickly pick out a shirt. I then walk over to the chest and pick out a pair of jeans as well.

I quickly change out of my night clothes and put on the clothes I had picked out.

Once I am dressed I exit the room and make my way to the bathroom. I quickly do my hair and then make my way down to the kitchen.

"It smells delicious," I say as I enter the kitchen. I look and see that she has eggs, bacon, and home fries set out on the table.

"Thank you," she says with a smile as I take my seat across from her.

"So do you have any job interviews set up for today?" she asks trying to start a conversation.

"No not today, but I am going to go look around at some of the places I found in the newspaper that are hiring," I say and then take a bite of my eggs. "And I think I may go house searching too."

"Well, I hope everything works out. I will be at work until 9:00 tonight, so feel free to eat anything in the house or do whatever you want to do," she says and then eats some of her food as well.

"Thanks," I say with a smile.

_She has been so nice and it has been so long since we have seen each other or talked. _I think._ I can definitely say that she is my best friend. She hasn't even really changed one bit, which I am glad because she is great the way she is._

There isn't really much talking after that.

"Breakfast was really good," I say as I stand up to rinse my plate while taking hers.

"Thank you," she says with a smile, "I can do the dishes, don't worry about. As I have told you numerous times you are a guest," she says frustrated that I won't listen to her no matter how many times she says it.

"I know, but I like doing it. I feel like it is the least I can do for you letting me stay here," I say as I turn on the water.

"And as I said before it is no trouble," she says walking over and standing beside me.

"I know, but still," I say washing off one of the plates.

_I am not going to lose this time, I will wash these dishes whether she likes it or not! _I think as she reaches for the plate.

"Paige," she says like a mother talking to a child as I pull the plate out of her reach.

"Really Amber, it is ok. Go get ready for work. I honestly don't mind. I know you don't like that I am doing it because I am your guest, but please," I say getting more annoyed than I already am.

I have repeatedly tried to help out around the house, but she has repeatedly turned me away, and I just can't take it anymore. I want to help, at least for the rest of the time I am going to be here.

"Paige…" she starts again but I cut her off.

"Please," I say with a puppy dog face.

She sighs and I can see that she is annoyed and angry, but oh well.

"Fine," she says through her teeth, "But this all I am letting you do," and with that she walks away.

I sigh and quickly finish up the dishes and put them away.

"Alright, I am off to work," Amber says coming back down the stairs after a little while.

I glance at the clock on the wall and see it is 8:15.

"Ok, have fun." I say as I follow her over to the front door.

I found out when I arrived here that she had gotten a job as a lawyer.

"Oh yeah," she says rolling her eyes. "Good luck with job hunting and house searching."

"Thanks," I say and soon after she is out the door.

I sigh as I make my way to the living room and sit on the couch.

I really do not need to find a job. With all the money that was left to my sister and me, we are pretty much set for life. I just like the way it feels to work for your own money and the sense of accomplishment you have once it is in your hands. I also do not want my college degree to go to waste either. I have been frantically looking for jobs that involve music teachers. I had been hoping to find a job at one of the schools around here, but none of them are hiring. I also have been hesitant to buy a house until I have a job too, because I wouldn't want to buy one too far away.

I grab the newspaper off of the coffee table, and flip to where I had circled places that were hiring. None of them had anything to do with what my degree is in, but a job is a job.

_Hmmm, what place should I look into first? _I think as I continue to look at the newspaper. _The bookstore seems like it would be fun. _I think as I read their hiring add. _Alright, bookstore it is. _I think as I stand up from the couch and make my way to the room Amber is letting me stay in.

Once I reach the room, I grab my purse off the bed post and grab my jacket out of the closet. I check to make sure that my car keys are in my purse, and once I confirm they are, I make my way out of the room and downstairs.

After I make it downstairs, I quickly go to the front door, put my shoes, and exit the house.

I walk over to my car and quickly hop in and start it up.

I look at the newspaper I had made sure to grab, for the directions to the bookstore. It is in town which is about 30 minutes away, give or take, depending on the traffic.

I quickly back out of the driveway and begin driving to the bookstore.

Finally, after 45 minutes, I make it to the bookstore.

I quickly park my car and exit it while making sure to lock it.

I look up at the sign for the name of the bookstore that reads, _Lost in Imagination, _and smile.

I mean it is not a job dealing with my degree, but I do love reading so if I get a job here I think I would like it.

I take a deep breath and walk into the little bookstore. A little bell on the door alerts whoever works here that I have entered.

As I wait for someone to come to the counter I look around the little store. There is a section for fairytales, romance, fiction, action, and much more.

_I definitely wouldn't mind working here. _I think.

I also see that they have a little bakery in the store as well with tables for people to sit, eat, and read, and also a little section for kids to play and read as well. The walls have a forest painted on them with creatures like unicorns, deer, rabbits, and centaurs in it. It almost feels as if you are in a fairytale.

There are not that many people here, but there are a few. Some browsing the books, while others are sitting at the bakery section with books and their laptops.

"Can I help you?" A woman asks walking out from the back of the store.

"Yes," I reply while breaking out of my fascination of the store and walking over to the counter. "I saw your help wanted add in the newspaper, and I was wondering who I would need to talk to about applying for a job here." I explain.

"Oh, yes, just wait here for a minute while I go get the owner," she says and then disappears back into the back of the store.

Within a few minutes, she comes back out followed by an elderly man.

"Are you the one asking about a job?" he questions as he walks over to me.

"Yes," I reply.

"Nice to meet you," he says while shaking my hand. "I'm Ed."

"Nice to meet you too," I say with a smile as he lets go of my hand, "My name is Paige."

"Paige, this is my granddaughter Rosalinda," he says introducing me to the woman who had talked to me first.

"Nice to meet you Rosalinda," I say with a smile while I shake her hand.

"You too," she replies.

"My wife also helps out at the store, and I would introduce you but she is at the grocery store," he says, "Speaking of which, what time did she leave, Rosalinda?" he asks the woman.

"About half an hour ago," Rosalinda answers.

"Ah ok, well she should be back soon then," he says while turning his attention back to me. "Now, let me get you an application and you can fill it out over there," he says pointing to the bakery section.

"Alright," I say as he disappears to the back of the store again.

Within a few minutes he comes back out with some papers and a pen.

"Here you go," he says handing them to me, "When you are done just hand them to Rosalinda and if we think you should get an interview, I will call you within a few days," he says with a smile.

"Ok," I say and walk over to the bakery part of the store.

I take a seat in the corner and begin filling out the papers.

Once I am done I get my cellphone out to see that it is 10:30.

_Hmm I got here at 9:30, so I have been here for an hour. _I think as I stand up from the table, gather up the papers, and make my way to the counter.

"Here you go," I say handing the papers to Rosalinda.

"Thank you," she says with a smile.

"You're welcome," I say with a smile as I begin to walk over to the door.

"Have a nice day," she calls as I open the door.

"You too," I call and then step out of the store and make my way to my car.

"Now where to next," I say aloud as I get in my car and pick up the newspaper I left on the passenger's seat.

I look through the paper and decide to go to the antique shop, which is just a little ways away from the bookstore.

I start my car up and begin driving to the antique shop.

…

After about two more hours of job hunting which involved going to the antique shop, a restaurant, music store, and a daycare center.

I look at my cellphone to see it is 12:45.

_Hmm, I am hungry. _I think as I get back into my car after leaving the daycare center. _Where could I go to get some food? _I wonder as I look around at the town from my car.

_I think I passed a McDonalds on my way here. _I think as I start my car.

I back out from my parking spot and begin to drive to where I think the _McDonalds_ is.

I find the_ McDonalds _relatively easy, and go to the line for the drive-thru.

"Hi welcome to _McDonalds_, can I take your order?" the person working the drive-thru asks me.

"Umm I will have a ranch snack-wrap, medium fry, and a small root beer," I order.

He tells me the total cost and then I drive up to the first window.

Once I reach the window, I give the man my credit card and then he hands me my recite along with my card. I then proceed to drive to the second window.

"Alright, here you go. Thanks for coming and have a great day!" the woman says as she hands me my bag of food and drink.

"Thanks, you too," I reply and then drive away.

I then drive to a parking lot at a grocery store and find a parking place so I can eat my food.

Once I finish my food, I glance at the clock on my car's radio and see it is now 2:00.

_I wonder what I could do now I mean I got to all of the places I had circled. _I think. _I could go house searching, but eh, I don't want to until I have a job. _I think as I look out my car window.

As I am staring out my car window any idea pops into my head.

_I should go visit mom and dad's grave, I mean I am out now and I want to check the flowers we planted there. _I think. _I also want to see if anyone has bought the property yet. It is only an hour and a half away from here. If I leave now I could get there by 3:30 depending on traffic and besides Amber won't be home until 9:00 so I have time. _I think.

I become sad as I think about it though. I mean I should go and see their grave since I am back and Florida.

_I could get more flowers, fake this time, in case the other ones died. _I think as I shift my car from park to drive.

Once I am out of the parking lot and onto the street I begin to drive to my old home and my parent's grave. I will get the flowers when I get there because there is a florist near the cemetery.

I turn my radio up and sing along with the songs I know that come on.

Finally after driving for two hours, traffic was terrible, I make it to the driveway of my old house.

Tears start to gather in my eyes as I realize that I actually came here and am sitting in my car at the bottom of my old driving, going to look at where my house once stood.

_Well I drove all the way here I guess it is now or never. _I think as I begin to drive up my old driveway.

Once I get to the top of the driveway, I let all of the tears I had been holding in, out.

I look at the empty space that used to be filled with my house and I just can't take it. I begin to ball as I remember the day I came home to find our house in flames. It was also the same day that my parents died.

_I remember pulling into the driveway and seeing all of the fire trucks and firemen, along with ambulances and paramedics, and watching the orange and yellow flames spread throughout the house. I remember jumping out of the car and running toward the firemen who were trying to put the fire out. I started screaming about how my parents were still in there, and that someone had to go in and get them. A fireman had to come and restrain me. After he somewhat calmed me down, he said that they had gotten my parents out but they had died of smoke inhalation. At that moment my world had stopped. I remember falling to the ground in a heap of tears while firemen and paramedics tried to comfort me. I then remembered that Kalinda was in school and hurried to get her._ _I calmed myself down enough to get her and explain to her what happened and I will never forget the look of sadness in her eyes. We then went back to the house and talked to some firemen and police officers. The fire had been ruled as accidental due to faulty wiring. After they gave us all this information we then found a hotel to stay at. The days following were filled with sadness. _

I snap out of my flashback as I realize I had gotten out of the car and was now sitting on my knees in front of what used to be my home.

_Hmm, I don't remember getting out. _I think as I dry my eyes and try to calm down.

After I get myself collected I stand up and make my way back to my car. I reach my car within seconds and open the door.

I take one more look at what use to be my home, before getting in the car and driving away to the cemetery.

Before actually going to the cemetery, I stop at the little florist shop called _Springtime All Year, _and buy a few arrangements of fake flowers for my parent's grave. I buy an arrangement of pink, white, and red roses and blue, white, and yellow carnations. I also buy an arrangement that has tulips, daisies, and a bunch of other flowers in a basket as well.

I load the flowers into my car and continue the drive to the cemetery.

Once I reach the cemetery, I park the car, grab the flowers, exit the car, and begin walking toward my parent's grave.

As I am walking toward their grave the song _Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, from Phantom of the Opera, _pops into my head.

I let out a little sad laugh.

Of_ course I would think of something like that. _I think as I finally reach their grave.

I look at the gravestone and tears well up in my eyes. I look at the picture in the center of my mother and father together that we had, had put on it. They are holding hands and smiling. It is a simple picture, but it still shows how much they loved each other.

It was taken when we went on vacation to California, which was actually our last vacation before they passed away. We were there for the beach and to also go to _Disneyland, _which is the location of the picture. It is in front of the castle.

A sob escapes my throat as I continue to look at the picture.

"I miss you mom and dad," I say as I crouch down in front of the gravestone. "I can't believe you are gone," I say through my sobs. "I am sorry that I haven't come around more, but Kalinda and I had moved to Virginia," I explain to them.

As I mention this I begin to sob even more

"W…we j-just couldn't handle it and we wanted t-to leave the sadness behind," I explain, "I am so sorry," I say as I wipe my nose on my sleeve. "I haven't b-been a v-very good big sister either," I say while still sobbing. "I l-left her in Virginia because I didn't want t-to live there anymore, b-but there are people there looking a-after her and she is 18 but…" I stop to catch my breath, "but that is s-still no excuse. I k-know I should still be there w-with here b-but I just I can't live there anymore."

I put the flowers down on the ground beside me and put my face into my hands after saying that.

I continue to weep into my hands until I finally compose myself again to talk.

I take a deep breath while wiping my eyes and continue to talk. "She is ok though, I know that the people that are looking after her are doing t-the best they can and won't let anything h-happen to her," I say reassuringly, "You know she is going to be 19 at the end of the week…" I stop talking as soon as I say that.

_How could I forget about her birthday until now! _I think angrily. _I am going to have to go back to Virginia just for her birthday. _

"You know what mom and dad, I am going to go back and be with her, at least for her birthday," I tell them with a small smile.

I pick up the flowers I had set beside me and put them in front of my parent's grave, seeing that the ones we had planted died. I put the roses on my mom's side of the grave, the carnations on my dad's side, and the flowers in the basket in the middle of the grave.

I stand up and put a hand on the top of the grave.

"I love you mom and dad, and Kalinda does too," I say and then walk away to my car.

Once I get back to my car, I pull out my cellphone and dial Kalinda's number.

"Please pick up," I say aloud as I start the car.

"Paige?" Kalinda questions as she picks up.

"Hi Kalinda," I reply.

"Is something wrong?" she questions.

"No, no," I assure her. "I am sorry I haven't called you since I've been here, but I was just afraid if I did it would make me miss you more," I explain to her.

"It is ok," she says, "I am just glad that you are doing ok. So what did you call about?" she asks, changing the subject.

"Actually, I called to tell you that I am going to come back up to Mystic Falls for your birthday Friday," I tell her, "I will leave tomorrow since it will be Wednesday, and depending on traffic I could even get there by Thursday night."

"Oh," Kalinda says, "Are you sure? You don't have to come back just for my birthday."

"No I am sure," I tell her.

"Ok, well that is great! I will see you when you get here. I got to go, goodbye Paige," she says.

"Bye," I say and then she hangs up.

I hang up as well and then glance at the car's clock to see it is now 6:00.

_Wow, didn't realize it was that late. I will have to make sure I get something to eat on the way back to Amber's. _I think as I been to drive.

…

By the time I get back to Amber's it is 8:30. I would have gotten back sooner but I decided to eat inside at a restaurant.

_I will have to make sure that I tell Amber I am leaving tomorrow. _I think as I walk into the house.

I walk into the living room, sit on the couch and turn the TV on, waiting for Amber to get home from work.

Finally at about 9:30, Amber gets home.

"Hey Paige are you here?" she questions as she closes the front door.

"Yeah," I call and walk over to where she is.

"So any luck with the job hunting or house searching?" she questions as she takes off her shoes and hangs up her coat.

"I got applications for all the places I found and should know within a few days if I will get an interview with any of them," I tell her, "And I didn't go house searching, actually after I looked for jobs I went to where my old house was and visited my parent's grave."

"Oh," she says and I can tell she doesn't really know how to respond to what I said. "Are you ok?" she questions as she puts a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah I am doing ok," I reply with a small smile, "It actually felt nice to go and see them," I say, "Oh there is something I need to tell you."

"What?" she asks curiously.

"I am leaving tomorrow to head back to Mystic Falls for my sister's birthday on Friday," I explain as we walk to the kitchen. "I had forgotten about it, and then I remembered while I was at my parent's grave."

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?" she asks as we take a seat at the table.

"I am not sure yet but probably late tomorrow morning. I am only staying until sometime Saturday or maybe Sunday depending on what I feel like doing," I say, "I will call you when I am getting ready to come back. I need to go pack some clothes though and get to bed," I say standing up. "I will talk to you more tomorrow before I leave."

"Alright, goodnight," she calls as I walk over to the stairs.

"Night," I call as I begin to walk up them.

When I reach the room she is letting me stay in, I grab my suitcase from under the bed and begin to put some clothes and other things into it.

Once I finish packing, I look at the clock on the nightstand and see it is 11:00.

_Better get to seep. _I think as I change into my night clothes.

When I finish getting ready for bed I quickly climb under the covers and lay down. I let out a yawn and close my eyes.

Soon enough sleep finds me.


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N: I am so sorry about the long wait for the update! I know it has been almost two years, my friend was supposed to write this chapter. I don't believe she is going to write to it anymore so I am going to continue with it by myself. Since I am going to be doing it myself that means that mostly all of the chapters will now be in Paige's POV but I will attempt to do Kalinda's sometimes like I have for part of this chapter. I am sorry again for the wait, but I was hoping she would update at some point but it is probably best to say at this point that she won't, maybe at some point but I don't think it will be in the near future. This chapter isn't much, it is mainly just filler, but I wanted to give you guys something because of the long wait. I do want you to know that I am not going to abandon this story, nor hopefully not make you wait almost two years again. I do plan on finishing this! Thank you all who have stick with this story, I really appreciate your patience! Sorry this is so short but I will get another chapter to you as soon as I can. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries. **

**Chapter 23**

I wake up to the alarm on my phone and quickly sit up. I get out of bed and stretch before changing into the outfit I had picked out the night before.

Once dressed, I exit the room and make my way to the bathroom to use it. When I finish I wash my hands and then make my way back to the bedroom.

I grab the suitcase I packed as well as my purse and then make my way downstairs.

"Good morning," I say when I reach the kitchen and see Amber sitting at the table while drinking coffee.

"Morning," she says with a smile, "All ready to leave?"

"Yep," I reply.

"I am making cinnamon rolls, why don't you have one before you go," she says as she gestures toward the oven.

"Alright, and I think I will have some coffee too," I say as I walk over to where the coffee pot is and grab a mug out of the cabinet.

I pour some coffee into the mug and then add sugar and milk to it before going over to the table and sitting down.

"So you never really did give me a reason as to why you came back," Amber says as she and I wait for the cinnamon rolls to get done. "I mean you just said that you felt you should come back but I can't understand why you left your sister there and no offence but why if you wanted a new start, would you move back here?"

"Well my sister is 18 so she can legally live on her own and I wasn't going to force her to move back with me if she likes it there, plus she has a boyfriend there as well," I explain to her, "And I know I wanted a new start but I just can't quite explain the reason that I came back. It just felt like I should. I know that is a stupid reason, but that is all I got," I say intentionally leaving out the part where I felt it just wasn't safe there.

"You're right it is, but I am glad that you are back. I have missed you. What about your teaching job though?" she questions just as the oven lets us know the cinnamon rolls are ready. "Why leave when you enjoyed working there? It sounds like you had a lot going for you and even had someone yourself," she says as she makes her way over to the oven.

I inhale the wonderful smell of the cinnamon rolls before answering her question. "I did really enjoy it and I feel really bad for leaving it, especially since they will probably be without a chorus program for a while, but like I said I just can't put my finger on why I wanted to come back. I did have someone but he ended up moving and we ended our relationship on good terms He did say he loved me though, but I guess we just weren't meant to be," I say with a shrug as she brings over the cinnamon rolls.

"He said he loved you!" she exclaims as she sits back down. "Did you say it back? Did you love him? Why would he leave after telling you that?"

"No I didn't say it back and I am not sure if I did or not. I think I may have, but I guess I will never get to see. I don't know why he left but he did. It is over and done with and I am ok," I tell her with a reassuring smile.

"That is a shame it didn't work out. You really could use a nice man in your life," she says as she takes a bite of her cinnamon roll, "I will have to find you someone else, someone better than this last guy," she says with a mischievous smile.

I groan atthis not wanting her to try to set me up again like she did in high school. The guy she set me up with ended up being a complete jerk.

"Speaking of this man who said he loved you, what was his name?" she questions curiously as I take a bite of my cinnamon roll.

"Elijah," I answer.

"I like that name," she says as she finishes off her cinnamon roll.

I just smile at that. "He was a really nice guy."

"I am sure he was," she agrees.

After this there is a comfortable silence in which I finish my cinnamon roll and coffee.

"Well I really should be going," I say standing up.

"Alright, please be careful and call me when you get there," she says as she stands up as well.

"I will," I promise as I give her a hug and then make my way to where I had left my things and then to the front door.

"See you," I say as I open it.

"Bye," she says and then I close the door.

I make my way over to my car, throw my suitcase in the trunk, then get in the car and start it up.

I turn on my GPS for the directions and then soon enough I am on the road.

_**Later in the evening in**_** Kalinda's POV**

"So I guess Elijah didn't compel my sister away permanently if she is going to come here for my birthday," I say as Damon and I sit on the couch in his house.

"I guess not. He must have said she could come back to visit or for special occasions," he says as he takes a sip of the alcohol he has in his hand.

"Where that is good, we still need to break his compulsion, which means we still have to come up with a plan to put me in danger while she is here," I say as I grab his glass and take a sip as well. I wince as it burns my throat.

"Give that to me," he says as he grabs the glass back. "You are underage," he scolds with a smirk.

I playfully roll my eyes at him. "As if you care."

"You're right," he says as he hands the glass back to me while giving me a kiss. "You're also right about us still needing to come up with a plan."

"We'll need to have another meeting again since she will be here Friday and we still have no plan," I say as I take another sip.

"I will talk to Stefan and Alaric about having one tomorrow," he says just as the front door opens and in walks Stefan and Elena.

"Talk to me and Alaric about having what tomorrow?" Stefan questions curiously.

"Another meeting since Kalinda's sister is supposed to be here Friday and we still haven't figured out how we are going to put Kalinda in danger in order to shock Paige out of her compulsion," Damon answers.

"Oh," Stefan says.

"Yeah we do," Elena agrees, "Because we really need to get the rest of the Mikaelsons out of here and we need Paige here to bring Elijah back in order to find a way."

"Hopefully it will work because I hate to admit it, but I actually miss my controlling sister being around even if she did try to act like a mom," I say as I hand Damon back his glass.

There isn't much talking after that and soon Damon and I make our way to his room where we try to brainstorm ideas ourselves, but eventually end up getting distracted and doing other activities.

I sigh as I lay in Damon's arms before sleep finds me. As I drift off I think about how whatever we end up planning better work.


End file.
